


Kicking Up A Storm

by Humansunshine



Series: FTGF Verse [4]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Jace doesn't exist, Angst, F/F, F/M, Family Dynamics, Fluff, Friendship, M/M, Minor Character Death, Parabatai Alec & Izzy, Parabatai Alec Lightwood & Isabelle Lightwood, Parent-Child Relationship, Politics, Polyamory, Racism, Romance, Slow Burn, Transgender Author, chosen family, in-depth trigger warnings in author's notes, mlm author, the fall of the clave, transgender alec lightwood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-03-02 05:48:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 98,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18804985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Humansunshine/pseuds/Humansunshine
Summary: With Valentine and Jonathan defeated, a new evil stirs in New York City, and the gang realise that it's time for revolution.The finale of the Fighting the Good Fight 'verse, a retelling of shadowhunters where Jace doesn't exist.





	1. Episode 1: On Infernal Ground

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO ALL! It feels like an eternity since Keeping the Peace ended! I was so distracted by 3B airing that I barely wrote any of this! I haven't even finished episode 3! Still, I'm hoping that these chapters are gonna come out every two weeks, so you can expect the next update on the 26th of May!
> 
> This 10-episode instalment is going to be different from the others. In the first 5 episodes, we cover what happened in 3A, and in the final 5, an entirely new arc unfolds, with some of the highlights of 3B mixed in. I honestly hated the majority of 3B; between the writers' treatment of Maia and Luke and the awful incest fuckery, it was just... Trash. Malec were beautiful as always (that wedding tho) but yeah. I just couldn't see myself being able to do a 10 episode instalment of 3B because I hated every character's plot except Magnus and Alec's. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy the ending that I've engineered for y'all!
> 
> Onto trigger warnings!
> 
> Racism: Mentions of the Clave not allowing downworlders into Alicante because it’s ‘holy ground’. Luke doesn’t want to think of himself as the ‘light’ to Valentine’s ‘darkness’ because he’s a downworlder, but Clary assures him that he’s ‘the greatest man’ she’s ever known.
> 
> Alcoholism/addiction: Upon hearing that he is no longer the HWOB, Magnus almost relapses, but chooses to go to an AA meeting instead.
> 
> Gaslighting: Luke gaslights Ollie in an attempt to convince her that she’s delusional and werewolves don’t exist. He apologises for it later in the chapter.
> 
> Murder: As in canon, Tim Dempsey murders his wife. The murder happens off screen and the corpse is barely described when Luke arrives on the scene.
> 
> Fight scene: As in canon, Clary and Luke fight Tim Dempsey and the demon that bursts out of him.
> 
> Homophobic parent feels: Aline and Izzy talk about their respective Moms

“Good morning, angel.”

Alec hummed, turning over onto his side, his phone held up to his face. “Good morning yourself. I miss you.”

“You’ve been awake for all of two minutes,” Magnus chuckled, his lined eyes warm and fond. 

“Missed you in my sleep,” Alec insisted, stretching out his legs and spine. 

Magnus propped his phone against a jar on his desk, quirking an eyebrow at his clingy boyfriend. “I’ve spoiled you. Though I can’t say I hate you being all sleepy and needy.”

Alec grinned, rubbing his eyes. “You’d love it if you were here right now. Why are you working? You should be giving me your full attention.”

“Oh?” Magnus laughed, his eyes flicking from the potion he was working on to the phone screen where Alec was pouting. “The time difference means that it’s late at night for me, so I’m still working.” 

“Wait, the time difference is 7 hours,” Alec mumbled, squinting at the clock that hung above the ensuite bathroom. “Magnus, it’s like 1am for you, go to sleep!” 

Magnus shrugged, finishing off the potion with a flick of his wrist and picking his phone back up. “Maybe I miss you, too.”

Alec smiled, wanting nothing more than to give his boyfriend a hug. “I knew it. You’re just as clingy as I am.”

“If not clingier,” Magnus admitted, pushing himself up from his desk and keeping his phone held up to his face as he made his way through the loft. “You’ll be home later, though, right?”

“I’m leaving here at about 7ish, so about midday for you.” Alec told him, slowly sitting up in bed. “That is, if everything goes according to schedule, and you know Clary.”

Magnus snorted. “It’s her rune ceremony, Alexander, I’m sure she’ll be on her best behaviour.” 

“I wish we could’ve just done it in the Institute at home,” Alec grumbled, throwing the sheets off himself, “then you, Maia, Luke and Simon could’ve come.”

“You had meetings to go to anyway,” Magnus reminded him, “you’re important now. Your Institute killed Valentine and Jonathan.” 

Alec sighed. “I just want to run the Institute in peace. I hate all this pomp and circumstance, it means I get at least three old Clave cronies coming up to me swearing that they remember the eldest Lightwood being a girl.” He shuddered and rifled through his wardrobe with his free hand, the other still holding his phone. “Why can’t they just leave it, like…? Clearly I’m not a girl now, what do they have to gain from grilling me?” 

“It’ll all be over soon,” Magnus soothed, “and then you’ll come home to me and a lovely, romantic candlelit meal.” 

“You don’t have to do that, I’ve only been gone two days.” Alec smiled, his thumb rubbing over Magnus’ cheek where it appeared on his phone screen. 

“Two days too long,” Magnus insisted, and Alec couldn’t find it in him to disagree.

Alec looked up at the clock as he pulled out his outfit for the day. “I should get dressed, I have a meeting in an hour.”

“Go ahead,” Magnus said lightly, and Alec looked back at his phone to see his boyfriend smirking. “I’m not stopping you.”

“Magnus,” Alec hissed, feeling the back of his neck heat up. “I’m in Alicante!”

“And?”

“My Mom is like two doors down!”

Magnus quirked an eyebrow at his boyfriend. “Does she possess the ability to see through walls?” 

“Well, no, but…” Alec squirmed. “I can’t get all sexy right before I go see the Clave, it’s all I’ll be able to think about all day.” 

“You’re so cute,” Magnus smiled, shaking his head a little. “I guess I should go and get some sleep anyway.” 

Alec nodded, still feeling a little hot from the intent in Magnus’ voice. “Yeah… Promise I won’t hesitate to take off my clothes when I see you later on.”

Magnus laughed, his eyes hooded. “I’ll hold you to that.” He blew the camera a kiss. “Love you, angel.”

“Love you too,” Alec answered as easily as breathing, grinning when both of them hesitated to hang up for a moment. “Bye.” 

He put his phone aside once Magnus’ face had gone from the screen, and turned his attention to getting ready for his last day in Alicante. Clary’s rune ceremony was this afternoon, the biggest reason why any of them were in Alicante in the first place. He wondered if he’d finally get some answers from her and Izzy today, after a month of avoiding him under the guise of organising this and that and debriefs and diplomatic missions. Today, he told himself, he’d figure out what the hell had happened that night at the lake.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey scrap, can you zip me up?” Izzy asked as Clary emerged from the bathroom, turning to show her girlfriend her bare back. 

Clary pressed a kiss to Izzy’s shoulder as she pulled the zip up to the top. “You look beautiful.”

Izzy smiled, tilting her head to the side a little, giving Clary more room to lay kisses on her skin. “So do you. Perfect, and powerful.”

“Oh yeah? Do you reckon I’m gonna strike fear into the hearts of all the Clave douches there today?” 

“You already have,” Izzy laughed, pulling Clary’s arms around her waist. “You scare the shit out of them.”

“Then why did they invite me all the way here for my rune ceremony?” Clary asked, “didn’t Max just have his at the Institute?”

“Whether they like it or not, you are a hero. They have to honour you, you killed Valentine.”

“And saved the loves of my life,” Clary smiled.

Izzy sighed, turning her face to kiss Clary’s cheek. “You can’t tell anyone about that part, we talked about this.”

“Well duh, I’m not going to go around telling the Inquisitor.” Clary shrugged, hooking her chin over Izzy’s shoulder. “But we have to tell Alec, he’s getting frantic.” 

“It’s too dangerous to tell him, it’s going to put him in a difficult position with the Clave.” 

“He’s your parabatai, Iz, you know he’ll do whatever he has to to keep you safe.”

Izzy turned in Clary’s arms, moving strands of red hair behind Clary’s ears. “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”

“We can’t keep lying to him forever,” Clary countered, and Izzy shook her head.

“We won’t. We’ll tell him soon. Just not yet.” 

Clary looked at Izzy with a small frown, but shrugged one shoulder. “If that’s what you want. And Maia too?”

“And Maia too,” Izzy promised, “soon.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“When’s it starting?” Maia asked, carrying a bowl of popcorn into the living room. Luke was still hooking up Magnus’ phone to the TV, fiddling with input options, and Magnus was watching him with curiosity. 

“In about fifteen minutes,” Luke answered, “don’t worry, we have time. See, got it.” He gave himself a mental pat on the back, setting Magnus’ phone on the TV stand next to the TV and sitting back on the couch to look at the blown-up image of Alec and Magnus cuddled together in bed that was Magnus’ current lockscreen.

Maia sat down next to him, making herself comfortable before Magnus took his place on the couch, too. “I feel like we’re here to watch a royal wedding or something.”

“The rune ceremony is a more important rite of passage than a wedding to shadowhunters,” Luke told her, taking a handful of popcorn from the bowl she was holding. 

“Mmmm,” Magnus agreed, conjuring a couple of large bottles of soda and pouring them into the glasses that Luke had set out. “Think about it. It’s where they go from being gifted mundanes to fully fledged shadowhunters. Of course there’s the religious aspect, but it’s also a sort of coming of age, and a recognition of the shadowhunter’s talent and hard work.”

“And a promise to the Clave,” Luke added grimly, “though I don’t think that’s much of a priority for Clary.” 

Maia was staring at the picture of Alec and Magnus on the TV screen. “I still can’t believe they didn’t let us go in person.” 

“Downworlders aren’t allowed in Alicante, it’s holy ground for shadowhunters,” Luke sighed, “I wish they’d let her have it at the Institute.”

“I don’t know, I’d much rather be sitting here on this couch with snacks than standing for hours on end listening to the Consul drone on and on amongst a bunch of snobby shadowhunters,” Magnus shrugged, “Alec tried to convince the Clave to let him have it in New York, but Clary is something of a celebrity now, having killed Valentine, and they want to show her off.”

As if on cue, Magnus’ phone started to vibrate, and he flicked his wrist to answer Alec’s facetime call. A close-up of Alec’s face filled the screen, and Magnus smiled like he hadn’t seen Alec just a few hours ago. 

“Hey, are you there? I can just see the ceiling.” He asked, squinting his eyes.

“We’re here,” Magnus assured him, levitating his phone with his magic so that Alec could see the three of them piled on the couch. “How’s it looking over there?” 

“Good, yeah,” Alec answered, “let me just… Turn the camera…” After a moment, Alec’s face disappeared from the TV screen and was replaced by a view of a beautiful marble temple, draped in deep blue banners with golden runes embroidered onto them. The largest by far was the one that all four downworlders recognised as the angelic rune, the one etched into Izzy’s chest and Alec’s forearm. “Can you see okay?” 

“Wow,” Maia leaned forward a little, her eyes focussed on the scenery that stretched out beyond the marble hall Alec was standing in, “Alicante is beautiful.” 

“Yeah,” Alec said, “though I wish you were all here. Oh, I think it’s starting, the Consul’s here. Enjoy the show!”

The three downworlders watched as an Asian woman walked up the aisle and took her place underneath the largest banner, next to a Silent Brother who’d been standing there before Alec came in. “Jia Penhallow,” Luke supplied, “Aline’s Mom.”

“Really? I don’t see much resemblance,” Maia shrugged.

“Probably because Aline is always smiling, and Jia looks permanently pissed,” Magnus smirked, sipping his soda. “She’s a perfect fit for Consul, really.”

Luke snorted. “You got that right.” 

“You’re lucky I have my volume turned right down,” Alec hissed into the mic, and Magnus chuckled.

“Hey, where’s Simon? Did you invite him?” Luke asked Magnus, who nodded. 

“Yes, I called but he didn’t pick up, so I sent him a text instead. He told me he’d be here, but… I guess something came up.”

“It’s not like Simon to miss something like this,” Maia frowned, “you think he’s okay?”

“I’ll check in on him later,” Luke promised. “Look, look, there’s Clary.” 

Clary was walking past Alec from behind, heading up through the assembled shadowhunters to join the Consul. “I stand before my fellow shadowhunters,” she began, and Luke leaned forward, mouthing the words along with her, “to receive the rune of the angel. I take this mark to honour him. To bring his light into me. To join the ranks of the shadowhunters, the guardians of peace.”

Maia and Magnus both scoffed at that part, shooting each other a smile of solidarity.

“Where’s she gonna have it?” Maia asked, squinting at the TV. It was difficult to see what exactly was going on. 

Clary offered her hand to the Silent Brother, and he put a stele to the back of her forearm. 

“Wait…” Maia mumbled, “does this mean Izzy offered her chest to some creepy Silent Brother at her rune ceremony?”

“God, I love that woman,” Magnus chuckled, shaking his head. He could just imagine Izzy doing that, just to make the Silent Brother squirm.

“My little girl’s all grown up,” Luke said quietly, his eyes a little wet. Magnus patted him on the shoulder gently. 

“This rune of angelic power,” Consul Penhallow announced, “is well-deserved and long overdue. You are no longer a shadowhunter in training. You, Clarissa Fairchild, have defeated our greatest enemy, and prevented Raziel’s wish from being used. May your heroism be a shining example to shadowhunters across the world. Congratulations.”

“Wow, she really is a big deal,” Maia commented as the shadowhunters began to clap, “I’m kinda surprised at just how happy the Clave is to see Valentine dead.”

Magnus hummed in agreement. “For now, we are at peace. That’s all that matters.” 

Alec turned the camera back around so that the three of them could see his face. “That’s it for the ceremony, I’m guessing you don’t wanna stick around and watch the Council stand up and do their speeches?” 

Magnus and Maia looked to Luke, who shrugged. 

“I guess not. Tell Clary that we’re all very proud.” 

“And that she looks really hot,” Maia added, and Alec rolled his eyes slightly. 

“I am not saying that out loud.” 

~~~~~~~~~~

“Clary!” 

The first person to hug her once the ceremony was over was, surprisingly, Maryse Lightwood. She must have made a beeline for Clary, because she’d even beaten Izzy and Alec to it. “Congratulations, honey.” 

“Thanks…” Clary replied, tentatively patting Maryse’s back. When the two women parted, Maryse beamed at her, taking her hands and squeezing them.

“What you did, stopping Valentine, saving Izzy… I don’t know that I can ever thank you enough.” 

“Oh,” Clary felt her cheeks burning, “I just did what anybody would’ve done…”

“You saved my little girl’s life,” Maryse sighed, pulling Clary into another hug. “I am so sorry for how I treated you in the past. I can see now, Izzy is lucky to have someone who loves her as much as you do.” 

“Mom,” Izzy said softly, touched. 

Maryse sniffed as she pulled back, giving Clary another warm smile. “I’ll leave you three kids to mingle. I should go and greet the Council.”

“It was very impressive,” Alec nodded, “standing up to Valentine all by yourself. And magically making Izzy come back from the-”

“Alec, not now,” Izzy hissed. 

“My parabatai rune disappeared.” Alec whispered, his eyes steely where they bore into Izzy’s. “You and I both know what happened at that lake.”

“I was impaled,” Izzy insisted, “but the healing rune kicked in right before the moment of death. I told you.” 

Alec’s eyes narrowed.

“Can we talk about this when we get back to New York?” Clary asked, not quite meeting Alec’s eyes when he turned his gaze to her.

Alec straightened up, his hands held together behind his back. “All that matters is that Izzy is safe. But yes,” he insisted, “we will talk about this when we get back to New York.”

“Alec,” Aline appeared at his elbow, “my Mom wants to talk to you.”

Izzy and Clary glanced at each other with relief, which irritated Alec even more. He hated being kept out of the loop, and he hated that Izzy wasn’t being honest with him. They told each other everything; at least, they used to. 

“Yeah,” he mumbled, “alright, let’s go.” 

“That looked intense,” Aline observed as the two of them walked towards the Consul. 

“Mmmm, just sibling stuff. No big deal.” Alec assured her.

“Alexander Lightwood,” Consul Penhallow held out her hand for Alec to shake, “I’m sorry that we haven’t seen each other in the past few days. As you can imagine, the switchover from a state of emergency to a state of peace so suddenly has left me quite busy.”

“Of course, Consul,” Alec smiled his best diplomatic smile, “we managed to get through all the necessary paperwork and investigations no problem.”

“I’m sure,” Consul Penhallow said, glancing at her daughter. “Aline, could you give us a moment?” 

Aline nodded, giving Alec an encouraging wink before darting off to mingle. 

“How is she getting on at your Institute?” The Consul asked, and Alec hummed.

“Very well. She arrived in the middle of a crisis and adapted very effectively. She was amazing.” 

“Glad to hear it,” Consul Penhallow answered, “it seems that your leadership during the height of the Valentine crisis was something to be celebrated, given your limited experience.” 

Alec inclined his head politely. “Thank you, Consul.”

“Your father has mentioned several times over the years, your ambition to sit on the Council. I would say that you’re ready for that, wouldn’t you?” 

That was unexpected, and Alec’s eyebrows rose up his forehead. “The Council?”

“Yes, Mr Lightwood,” the Consul replied, her face a little scrunched, like she was confused. “The Council. I think you’d be a fine addition, since Miss Blackthorn lost her seat. We could use someone who works closely with downworlders.” 

“I see,” Alec nodded, “well… I’ll need a few days to think about it.” Of course it was out of the question, he’d be too far away from Magnus, not to mention the fact that they were clearly trying to tokenise him as a downworlder ally. But he couldn’t just outright say no, could he? 

It was obvious that Consul Penhallow hadn’t been expecting that response. She raised her chin. “Offers like these don’t come along every day, Mr Lightwood.”

“I know that, Consul Penhallow. But I care about my Institute, and I worked hard to get it. My parabatai and…” He cleared his throat a little, “boyfriend both live in New York, so I must consider your offer carefully.”

“Mr Lightwood,” the Consul put her hand on his arm. “I trust I don’t have to tell you that a shadowhunter’s main duty is to the angel. Your career will halt in its tracks if you allow personal relationships to come between you and your service to Raziel.” 

Alec nodded, dropping his eyes. “I understand that, Consul. But with all due respect, I am only twenty-six. There is plenty of time for me to chase promotions. As you said, I have limited experience. I think it would be prudent to spend some more time on the front lines before attempting to understand how things work here in Alicante.” 

“I suppose that’s logical,” Consul Penhallow allowed, “let me know by the end of the week whether or not you intend to take this very generous opportunity.” 

“I will, Consul. Thank you for your consideration.” Alec gave a respectful nod, before taking his leave. He’d wait a couple of days and then send her a fire message. There was no way he was leaving New York.

There was no way he was leaving Magnus.

~~~~~~~~~~

Magnus was clearing up the empty popcorn bowls and glasses when he noticed a fire message materialising in the air just in his periphery, and snatched it up into his hand. He wasn’t expecting any business today; he’d taken the day off to greet Alec when he came home. Assuming it was some kind of emergency, Magnus wasted no time in reading it.

Dear Mr Bane,

As a result of your decision to support the Seelie Queen during the Valentine crisis, which led to Valentine raising the angel and almost wiping out the downworld as we know it, the warlocks of New York have had a vote of no confidence in your leadership. As of today, Mr Lorenzo Rey has been democratically appointed to take up the position of High Warlock of Brooklyn. 

The Warlock Council of North America thanks you for your many years of service, and requests your presence at Mr Rey’s mansion a week from today, so you may offer your congratulations to our new leader in New York.

Warm regards,

WCONA

Magnus couldn’t comprehend it at first. He stared at it for several seconds, not blinking, and eventually his eyebrows furrowed. He was no longer the High Warlock of Brooklyn. The paper that the message was written on turned into a glass of scotch, and Magnus started to raise it to his lips. 

He forced himself to pause and think. He saw the colour of Alec’s eyes in the dawn sunshine when he looked into the glass, and put it down. Instead, he crossed the room to where his phone was still plugged into the television and brought it back to the couch. His fingers typed in ‘alcoholics anonymous meetings Brooklyn NYC’ and he sat back as he began to scroll through the different support groups, trying to figure out which one was the closest.

Right as he was about to make a note of one, his phone buzzed in his hand, and he saw Catarina’s name flash up on the screen. He put it to his ear and waited for her to say something.

“I’m sorry, Magnus. I didn’t say anything because I was sure that the warlocks would vote in confidence of you. I didn’t want to worry you.” She said, her voice steeped in sympathy.

“It’s, erm…” Magnus cleared his throat. “It’s quite alright. I made a bad call. There are consequences.”

“It’s not alright,” Cat insisted, “I’m coming over.”

“No, no, really,” Magnus shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. “I’m about to head out to a meeting, anyway.”

“You are?” 

“Yes,” Magnus answered, checking his watch. “There’s one starting in half an hour.”

“You want me to come with you? I can come if you need me to,” she tried.

“No, no,” Magnus felt his throat closing, and cleared it again. “I’ll be fine. It’s just a shock. I just need a moment to…”

“Okay,” Cat murmured, “but promise me you’ll call me if you start spiralling, okay? Or Alec, or Ragnor. Promise me you won’t isolate yourself.” 

Magnus stood up, distracting himself with wondering which coat he should wear. “I promise, Catarina. I… I have to go.”

He didn’t wait for her response before hanging up and rushing to his closet to put on his nice deep purple peacoat. On his way to the front door, he banished all the alcohol in the loft, and squared his shoulders. Lorenzo Rey would not send him running back to drinking with his tail between his legs. 

~~~~~~~~~~

“I knew you’d show up here eventually!” Ollie grinned, getting to her feet as Luke and Maia came through the door of the Jade Wolf. 

Luke sighed at the sight of Ollie. He’d been ignoring her calls ever since she cornered him after the victory party at the Jade Wolf and accused him (rightly) of being a werewolf. At the time he’d been drunk enough to get away with just laughing and promising to call in the morning, but now he was stone cold sober and had nowhere to run. 

“What’s up, Ollie? You know it’s my day off.” Luke pointed out.

“I know you filed for a new partner,” Ollie told him, eyeing Maia as she walked past to head into the kitchen. “You can’t get away from me that easy, not when I know the truth!”

“The truth about what?” Luke asked, putting his hands on his hips.

Ollie stepped a little closer, glancing around at the werewolves hanging out around them. “That you and your buddies here are a pack of werewolves, and that you’re the alpha.” 

“Werewolves?” Luke snorted, “what, as in, howling at the full moon werewolves?” 

“Don’t be cute,” Ollie pressed, following him as he started walking towards the kitchen, “I have a video of you welcoming new wolves into the New York Pack.” 

“It’s a motorcycle club, Ollie, we’re not actual werewolves.”

“Then why are there no motorcycles outside?” She countered, rushing around him to block his path. “I know werewolves exist, I’ve known for a long time.”

“Oh really?” Luke asked skeptically.

“Yes, actually. I was attacked by one as a rookie cop.”

That brought Luke up short. “What are you talking about?” 

Ollie licked her lips, glancing around once more. “One night I was on patrol down in the meatpacking district, and I started to hear this growl. It was deeper than a dog’s, it sounded more like a tiger from the zoo. And I was shining my flashlight around and the next thing I knew, this huge wolf was on top of me, snarling in my face. Then my partner came around the corner and it scarpered. He said it was just a big dog, but no dog is that big. It was a wolf. A werewolf.”

“So, what, you chain yourself up every full moon?” Luke asked drily.

“I didn’t get the virus, or whatever it is,” Ollie gritted out, “the claws didn’t go deep enough. But I know what I saw.”

“Look,” Luke put his hand on her shoulder. “I know how stressful this job can be. Maybe you need some personal time.”

Ollie narrowed her eyes at him. “You son of a bitch.”

“I’m just looking out for you, Ollie.” He insisted, and pushed forwards into the kitchen, leaving Ollie fuming behind him.

~~~~~~~~~~

Catarina was so ready to go home. Between her anxiety about Magnus, the massive 6pm rush of women in labour, and the news that one of her young patients had a terminal condition, she was counting down the minutes until she could go home to Madzie and Dot. It was Friday, which made it craft night, Madzie’s favourite day of the week. Cat ached to be at home with her, watching her make a mess with old newspapers and PVA glue. 

The moment the second hand passed the 12 and it chimed 9 o’clock, Catarina made a beeline for the nurses’ station and grabbed her purse. 

“Tim,” she put out her hand to stop one of the other nurses, “could you go and check on the woman standing in the nursery viewing room? She’s been there for quite a while, and I don’t recognise her.”

“In a rush to get home for craft night, huh?” Tim guessed with a smile, and Cat laughed wryly.

“You know it.”

“No problem, Cat, I’ll go and see what she needs now.” He assured her, “see you tomorrow.”

“You’re a lifesaver. See you tomorrow.” Cat answered, slinging her purse over her shoulder and heading for the door. As soon as she was around the corner from the hospital, she ducked into an alley and cast a portal right to her living room. When she stepped through she almost tripped over Madzie, who was sitting in the centre of the rug, evidently waiting for Cat to come home.

“Mommy!” Madzie jumped up to her feet, clinging onto Catarina’s middle like it had been weeks since they saw each other.

“Hi, sweet girl.” Catarina picked her up and gave her a kiss on the cheek, “you and Dot got everything ready?”

“Madzie decided we’re gonna do some painting tonight,” Dot told Cat as she carried Madzie on through to the kitchen. Dot had put the old tablecloth on the dining table and Madzie jumped down from Cat’s hip to take her place, magicking her pink craft apron on. 

“I’ll be right there, sweetie, I’m just gonna take a shower first, okay?” 

Madzie was already reaching for the paints, but stopped when she remembered something. “Wait!” 

Cat turned to look at her with a questioning look on her face.

“We have to eat first!”

Dot smiled at her, proud as punch. “That’s right, beansprout, what do you want for dinner?” 

“Tacos,” Madzie answered, and Cat made a satisfied sound. 

“Good call, Madz. I’m gonna shower and then we’ll have tacos, yeah?”

“Yes!” Madzie punched the air, jumping down from her chair to run and grab the takeout menu from the kitchen drawer.

~~~~~~~~~~

The conversation he’d had with Magnus that morning was still in Alec’s head, and swooping low in his stomach, when he stepped through the portal Magnus had conjured for him. He frowned a little when he saw that Magnus wasn’t there to greet him, and glanced around. His eyebrows rose when he spotted a mundane woman, a blonde, coming out of Magnus’ apothecary the moment after the portal faded into nothing. Alec gave her a polite smile and a nod before letting himself into the apothecary.

Magnus’ face lit up at the sight of him, but he didn’t get up. “Alexander,” he murmured, “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Alec returned, bending to give Magnus a kiss to the crown of his head. “Who was that?” 

“India Carter, the lead of Wicked. She had a bit of trouble with her voice, nothing some ground up hawk claw can’t fix,” Magnus answered, getting up to put his ingredients away. 

Alec hummed, picking up a tiny skull that was sitting on the table to take a closer look at it. “Haven’t seen you with a client for a long time.”

“When you’re the High Warlock it’s frowned upon, potential conflicts of interest,” Magnus explained, his eyes on the shelf in front of him. He felt nervous at the prospect of telling Alexander the truth about his new status, but he figured it was like a plaster… “But now that I’ve been relieved of duty I’m free to see whoever I want.” Better to rip it off quickly.

“Wait…” Alec put the skull down. “What? You’ve been demoted?” 

“Yes. And I found the most incredible mocktail recipe. Tastes almost exactly like a vodka martini. You want one?” Magnus asked, sweeping past Alec to his drinks cart. 

“Magnus, wait, wait,” Alec caught his arm, slipping his hand down to take Magnus’. “What happened?”

“Fallout of my decision to side with the Seelie Queen,” Magnus made his voice light, an empty smile on his face. “Honestly, I’m relieved.”

Alec didn’t look convinced. “Relieved?” 

“Yes,” Magnus insisted, rubbing his thumb over the back of Alec’s hand. “It means I have more time to spend with my favourite person in the world.” That made Alec smile, and go in for a kiss, but Magnus moved away, back to the drinks cart. “And,” Magnus continued, “it means I can help people make their dreams come true…” He put all the ingredients in the shaker, “and make a lot of money doing it.” 

“But being the High Warlock, you loved it.” 

“I did,” Magnus nodded, shaking the mocktail smartly, “but I’ve been at it for almost fifty years. Shouldering all that responsibility gets exhausting.” 

“I guess that makes sense,” Alec admitted, his eyes watching his boyfriend for any sign of upset. “But if you want to talk about it…”

Magnus poured his alcohol-free martini into a glass and took a sip. “It really is quite good.” He popped an olive into it and sat down on the couch. “So, how was Alicante?” 

“It was mostly dull,” Alec told him, sitting next to Magnus on the couch. He’d been hoping for a cuddle, but Magnus was sitting up straight, his legs crossed, and Alec sensed that Magnus wasn’t in the mood for it. “But, um… The Consul pulled me aside after the rune ceremony.”

“Oh, I bet she did,” Magnus chuckled, “you’re the golden boy now, I imagine she wants to stick as close to you as possible.”

“She offered me a position on the Council.”

Magnus’ eyebrows rose a little. “Alexander, that’s wonderful!” He squeezed Alec’s knee. “It’s what you’ve always dreamed of. And so young.”

“I’ve…” Alec shifted a little closer, his eyes earnest, “I’ve always dreamed of meeting someone like you.” 

He’d been expecting a kiss, but Magnus just chuckled, his eyes not quite meeting Alec’s. “I’ll always be here, Alexander. This is a wonderful opportunity. We should celebrate, go out.” Magnus got up, putting the faux-martini in Alec’s hand.

“But… It would mean moving to Alicante.” Alec reminded him.

“I’m always only a portal away, Alexander,” Magnus assured, finally kissing Alec’s forehead. Before Alec could reciprocate the affection, though, Magnus had hurried away to his bedroom, leaving Alec very confused. With nothing else to say, Alec sipped the mocktail. Hopefully Magnus would relax a little when they got some food and tell Alec how he really felt about everything.

~~~~~~~~~~

“You know what time it is, scrappy?” Izzy asked, walking into the ops centre.

Clary looked up from where she’d been looking over her new list of duties. “Lunchtime?” She asked hopefully. Izzy giggled and shook her head.

“Not quite. Come with me.” 

From the day they met, Clary had always had trouble denying Izzy anything she wanted, so she didn’t think twice about letting Izzy pull her down the corridors. Izzy could be taking her to have all her hair shaved off and Clary would happily follow. 

“Now that you’re an official, qualified shadowhunter, it’s time to choose your signature weapon.” Izzy explained, showing Clary into her workshop and pressing the button to open all the weapons cabinets. “Alec has his bow, I have my whip… You can now pick your weapon, and I’ll customize it to your needs.”

Clary looked at the weapons in front of her with a sense of nervousness. “What do you think I should pick?” 

“I can’t tell you,” Izzy insisted, “it has to be on your instinct. Don’t think too hard about it. Just choose.” 

Looking at the variety of sword types, and then the staffs, whips, bows, and even a two-handed axe, Clary found her eye drawn to a narrow shortsword. Maybe a better word for it would be dagger, Clary mused, picking it up and feeling the weight of it in her hand. It was about the length of her torso, and very sharp all the way round. She stepped back and thought about how she’d fight with it, and hummed. She needed another, for her other hand. 

“That one is designed for a dual wield,” Izzy nodded as she noticed Clary looking over the other daggers. “It’s an older one, I have no idea where it came from, but I didn’t make it.”

“These two don’t match,” Clary shrugged, picking up a shorter, flatter dagger with a black handle. “But they feel right together.”

“It makes sense,” Izzy smiled, impressed by her girlfriend’s instincts. “The heavier one is in the hand you use for balance, so you can use that for parrying and then the lighter one for quick movements. It suits your fighting style.” 

Clary looked down at the two daggers, pride welling inside her that she apparently chose well. “What are you gonna do to customise them?” 

“Well,” Izzy took both of the daggers to look at them. “I’ll give them matching handles, for starters.” She looked a little closer at the heavier one, arching her eyebrow as she spotted the circle rune etched into the blade. “And I’ll replace the circle rune with a balance one.”

“There’s a circle rune in it?” Clary wrinkled her nose. “Why is it here?”

“Weapons are recycled,” Izzy shrugged, “it must have been taken off a dead member of the circle. Don’t worry, I’ll sort it out.” 

“So it’s not weird that I chose a circle weapon?” Clary checked.

Izzy shook her head. “Nope, Alec’s bow was used by one of Valentine’s cronies too. He had the circle rune replaced with the friendship rune. It can be good, using circle weapons to defend downworlders. Feels like a fuck you to the racists.” 

Clary smiled, putting her hands on her hips. “That sounds good to me. When will they be ready?”

“I’ll get to work on them right now,” Izzy promised, “you on duty?”

“Not until tonight,” Clary replied, looking round as Izzy’s eyes lit up where they were looking past her shoulder.

Maia was standing in the doorway, her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket. “Then it sounds like I came at the perfect time,” she smiled, and Izzy and Clary both went to greet her with soft kisses. “I saw you in Alicante,” Maia told Clary, “you looked super beautiful.”

Clary shrugged, “so did Izzy.”

“Oh, I have no doubt,” Maia grinned, reaching for Izzy’s hand and squeezing it, “but Alec didn’t think to show me.” 

“I’ll model my dress for you another time,” Izzy promised. “What are you doing here?”

“Well,” Maia tilted her head to the side. “I figured you were both back now, and we haven’t seen much of each other the past couple of weeks, so maybe we could do something fun together. And since Clary’s not on duty…”

Izzy considered it, knowing she had work to do. But, she told herself, now she was weapons master she set her own hours. “Sounds good to me,” she said, “what did you have in mind?” 

“Have you ever been bowling?” Maia asked.

“Oh my God yes, we have to take you bowling.” Clary insisted.

“I don’t think I have,” Izzy mused, “but I’ve seen it in movies.” 

Maia grinned. “Maybe we’ve found something that I can actually beat you in, then.”

“Don’t count on it,” Izzy smirked, which made Maia laugh. 

“If we’re going bowling I want to change,” Clary announced, “It’s always freezing in the alleys.”

“Good call,” Maia agreed, glad that both her girlfriends (were they girlfriends yet? Maia couldn’t remember if they’d ever officially said) were on board with her date idea.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Oh, that reminds me,” Maia said as they passed the arcade, “have you heard from Simon, Clary?”

“Not in a couple of days,” Clary answered, “why do you ask?” 

“He didn’t show up to Magnus’ to watch your rune ceremony.” Maia told her.

“That’s not like Simon,” Izzy frowned, and Maia shrugged.

“Luke’s gonna go look for him once he’s done with work today, just in case. It’s just weird, usually he comes to the Jade Wolf at least once a day. He gets bored at the Hotel DuMort in the daytime.”

Clary chewed her lower lip. “What do you think happened to him?”

“I’m sure its nothing,” Maia said hurriedly, “but the Seelie Queen was very interested in him before. And suddenly the Seelies that were hanging around the Jade Wolf have disappeared.”

“The Seelie Queen is still sending me the occasional fire message, trying to convince me to join her,” Izzy nodded, “no doubt she’s trying just as hard to get Simon’s attention. Maybe me and Clary should go to the Court.”

“Definitely not,” Clary insisted, “she’ll only trap you there. No way, if anyone’s going to the Seelie Court it’s going to be me and Magnus. He can get us out of there quickly if things turn ugly.” 

“Well hopefully Luke will find Simon holed up playing Breath of the Wild,” Maia shrugged, “last time I saw him he was looking forward to playing it, maybe he’s just gone down a video game rabbit hole.” 

Clary snorted. “Yeah, that wouldn’t surprise me.” 

“We can only hope,” Izzy sighed, though she felt a thrill of excitement go through her as Maia held the door of the bowling alley open for her. She loved mundane stuff; she loved the movie theatre and riding a bike and playing pool, so she was sure she’d love this, too. 

“Anyway, Luke will figure out what’s going on.” Maia said firmly, following Clary and Maia towards the front desk. “Let’s just enjoy our date.” 

“Bets on who’s gonna win?” Clary smirked.

“It’s not fair, I’ve never played before!” Izzy insisted, “and I’m not betting against myself.” 

Once they’d split the money for the alley three ways, Izzy, Maia and Clary swapped their shoes for the special bowling shoes, Izzy wrinkling her nose as she handed over her high heeled boots. 

“It’s all a part of the experience, babe,” Maia laughed.

“You could’ve warned me that we’d have to wear clown shoes,” Izzy sighed, looking down at her black and red dress and then back at the blue and yellow shoes. “I could’ve at least made sure that my outfit matched.”

Clary giggled. “Nothing matches bowling shoes. Just embrace the chaos, Princess.” 

Izzy hummed, sitting down to put the shoes on. “Embracing the chaos,” she confirmed, glancing around the alley as she tied the shoelaces. It was busy, though not full. Most of the alleys were taken, and there were several dozen people sat at what looked like a canteen. “What food do they serve here?”

“Nachos, fries, snacky stuff. You hungry?” Maia asked.

“I could go for some nachos,” Izzy admitted, “but let’s find our alley first.” 

Clary led the way to their alley, and they set their jackets down on the seats. “First thing you have to do is choose what size ball you want.”

“No, first thing is making you guys promise that you won’t use runes,” Maia laughed, “steles on the table.” 

Izzy and Clary set their steles down on top of the jackets with minimal complaining.

“I was bowling way before I even knew what runes were, I’ll be fine.” Clary shrugged.

“We’ll see,” Maia teased, making a beeline for the little keyboard where you typed in the names of the people bowling. “What am I calling you on here?”

Clary smiled at Izzy. “Scrap.”

“Are there enough characters for Princess?” Izzy asked, and Maia shook her head. “Guess it’ll just be Izzy then.”

“We need to think of a good nickname for Maia,” Clary pointed out, sitting down. “Something cute.”

“If either of you say pup or anything dog related, I’m dumping you,” Maia teased, and Izzy sighed dramatically.

“And there I was, gonna say Fido.” 

“I hate you,” Maia laughed, digging her fingers into Izzy’s waist to make her giggle. “Okay, I don’t trust y’all, I’m just putting Maia.” 

“Probably smart,” Clary agreed, watching with fondness as Izzy pressed apologetic kisses over Maia’s face. They were so cute together, and it made Clary feel all warm in her heart. 

“Clary’s turn first,” Izzy said, sitting down as Clary stood up and chose her ball. “So you just need to knock down all the white things, right?” She asked Maia as she sat down next to her. 

“Yeah, they’re called pins. It’s harder than it looks, though.” 

Izzy hummed, watching the way Clary threw the ball with an arched sweep of her arm. It didn’t look too difficult, and she had good strength in her arms, so she wasn’t too worried. Clary knocked down eight of the pins, and sighed as she straightened up. 

“Guess I’m a little rusty,” she shrugged, picking up a ball to do her second throw. 

“See, now she has to choose which side to bowl, but she has to be careful not to let it go in the channel at the edge.” Maia pointed to what looked like gutters either side of the alley, and Izzy nodded. 

Clary chose the right side, and sure enough, the ball rolled into the gutter. She groaned, and wrinkled her nose as she turned around to sit down next to Izzy. “I really am rusty.” 

“My turn?” Izzy asked, excited to have a go. 

“Yeah, you want me to help you the first one?” Maia offered, and Izzy shook her head.

“I got it,” she assured, picking up a medium weighted ball. Copying the way Clary had stood, she swung the ball. She must have let it go a little too late, because it hit the floor with a bit of a thump, but it made its way down the alley fairly straight, if a little slow. It knocked down seven pins, and Izzy straightened up, happy with the result, for a first try.

Clary let out a low whistle. “You really are good at everything, huh.”

“Forget Princess, she’s basically a superhero.” Maia sighed, crossing her legs. “Us mere mortals don’t stand a chance.” 

Izzy giggled, doing a little curtsey as she chose her second ball. She aimed for the left, where two pins stood one in front of the other, and let the ball go a little earlier. This one was a lot faster, but too far left, and ended up in the gutter. Izzy huffed softly. 

“Oh, maybe we do stand a chance,” Clary teased, holding out her hand for Izzy to sit on her lap. “That was awesome for a first try, though.” 

“I’ll get them all down at once by the end of the game.” Izzy swore.

“I believe you,” Maia chuckled, taking her place at the mouth of the alley.

~~~~~~~~~~

As they played, the three women got more and more competitive. Maia took the lead from the beginning, and Clary and Izzy battled for second place. They’d gotten some food halfway through the game, and picked at the nachos and fries as they played. Going into the last round, Maia had definitely won with a margin of 30 points, but Izzy was only 3 points off Clary, and determined to get her first strike on her last bowl.

She might have been taking this way too seriously, but growing up with Alec everything had been a competition, and she took pride in winning most of the time. Izzy took a moment with the ball in her hand, aiming just right of the middle; she’d figured out that she tended to throw a little to the left. As she swung the ball she focussed hard, and closed her eyes once it was out of her hand. She heard the ball hit the pins, and Maia and Clary both yelled. Izzy opened her eyes to see that all the pins had been knocked down, and Izzy threw both of her hands in the air and grinned from ear to ear. 

“I can’t believe you beat me,” Clary laughed, shaking her head. 

“That was beautiful,” Maia gave Izzy a high five as they passed. “Let’s see if I can win by 50 points.”

“Show-off,” Izzy teased. 

Maia shrugged one shoulder. “Maybe.” Sure enough, she bowled a perfect strike, and fist pumped. “Fifty point margin. Thank you very much.” She took a little bow.

“Now that you’ve successfully dominated us, how about we go and get an actual burger? I’m starving,” Clary complained, and Maia hummed in agreement.

“That was so much fun,” Izzy enthused as she put her jacket back on, “I wish it could be like this all the time.” 

“Me too,” Maia admitted, following Clary to the shoe desk. “But hey, we haven’t had an emergency for over a month, that’s pretty good going for us.” 

“Is the pack all calm and boring too?” Clary asked, and Maia laughed.

“Only you would call no world-ending emergencies boring,” she told her redheaded girlfriend, “but no, not exactly. Russell and some of the others have been grumbling that Luke isn’t focussed on the pack.” 

Izzy grimaced. “Do you think he’ll try and break away from the pack again?”

“Nah, he learned his lesson,” Maia shrugged, “I just hope that Luke starts to prioritise the pack more. We need him.” 

“I’m sure he’ll be more focussed now that Valentine and Jonathan are dead,” Clary shrugged, handing the three pairs of bowling shoes back to the clerk. He walked away to grab their shoes and Clary turned to face the other two women. “We can all relax now.”

“Don’t say that,” Maia teased, “or Lucifer will burst out of the ground.”

Izzy agreed. “Yeah, that’s almost as bad as saying ‘what can possibly go wrong?’” 

Clary laughed. “Alright, alright, I’m sure our doom is right around the corner, how’s that?” 

The shoe clerk looked a little worried as he put Clary, Maia and Izzy’s shoes in front of Clary, which made all three women burst into giggles as they put their shoes back on. 

“Okay, let’s go get some food,” Maia looped her arms through Clary and Izzy’s so she was in the middle, and they made their way out of the bowling alley.

When they reached the Hunter’s Moon, Maia excused herself to go to the bathroom, and Clary took the opportunity to bring up Izzy’s least favourite topic. 

“I think we should tell her about the wish, Iz, I hate not being honest with her, and the longer we leave it the madder she’s going to be at us.” 

Izzy sighed, her eyes on the bathroom door. “You’re right. I just hope she doesn’t freak out too much.” Maia emerged from the bathroom, and Izzy’s eyes darted away to land on the table.

“It’s gonna be okay,” Clary murmured, reaching for Izzy’s hand on the table.

“Whoa, who died?” Maia joked as she slid back into her seat, her eyebrows furrowing a little. “You alright, Iz?” 

“Yes.” Izzy answered, glancing at Clary, who nodded. “But we have something to tell you.”

“Okay…”

“When we were at Lake Lyn, Valentine took us by surprise,” Clary started, squeezing Izzy’s hand. “Originally, he, erm… Killed me.”

“He what?!” Maia yelled, and Clary and Izzy shushed her, glancing around the bar to check that no-one was paying attention to them. “What do you mean originally?” 

“We found out that my angelic connection is to Cassiel, the angel of time.” Izzy explained, “right before I killed Jonathan I foresaw his moves, I knew what he was going to do so I was able to get ahead of him and kill him. And then at the lake when I saw Clary die, somehow I was able to reverse time, and change it, so that…” She swallowed hard, keeping her gaze firmly on the table, “so that I got the knife in the chest instead of Clary.” 

Maia’s mouth was hanging open a little. “But you survived. I mean, obviously, you survived.”

“Not exactly,” Clary continued, “Izzy died slower than I had, the knife didn’t pierce her heart outright. I watched her die. After that, I felt… I felt so calm. My mind just went totally quiet, and I knew I was going to kill Valentine. It was like every cell in my body was focussed on making him pay for taking her away. He got one over on me and managed to restrain me, but when he turned to raise the angel I crawled over to Izzy and got her stele. Once I had that, it was easy. I came up from behind and stabbed him…” Clary shuddered, her eyes far away, “over and over again.”

“Oh my God,” Maia said quietly, her fingers curling around Izzy and Clary’s joined hand. “That’s….”

“It’s what he deserved,” Clary insisted, blinking back to the present. “Anyway, the angel was there, and he asked if I wanted to make a wish. And I did. I wished to bring Izzy back.”

Maia smiled, her eyes shimmering. “Of course you did.” 

“But the wish wasn’t meant to be used for something so selfish,” Izzy explained, “it was meant to act as a last resort to save the world from being overwhelmed by evil.”

“Someone would have used it to wipe out demonic blood,” Clary said, “and that would’ve most likely included downworlders. I’m glad it’s gone.”

“We don’t know that,” Izzy mumbled. 

“So, what, you disarmed the one nuke that the shadowhunters had?” Maia asked.

“If the Clave found out Clary would be put to death,” Izzy whispered, “which is why we’ve waited so long to tell you. Not even Alec knows. No-one can know.” 

Maia nodded, sniffing. “I get it.” She curled her hand around the back of Clary’s neck and gave her a kiss. “You did the right thing. Thank you for bringing her back to us.” 

Clary smiled slightly. “I’d do it all over again.”

Izzy blushed, loving the fact that her girlfriends would do such a thing, but also, deep in her gut, guilty that they’d trampled on the one hope that shadowhunters everywhere clung onto.

~~~~~~~~~~

Luckily for Luke, there were not many vampires who smelled like Axe body spray and rubber soled-sneakers, so it didn’t take him long to track Simon to Central Park. He and Maia had been almost sure that Simon had been taken by the Seelie Queen, so it didn’t surprise him that the trail led there. Before he could reach the bridge where the entrance to the seelie realm lay, though, he found Simon walking down a path back towards the Hotel DuMort. 

“Simon!” Luke called, catching up to him easily and pulling him into a hug. “Are you alright?” 

“Yeah,” Simon answered, his face in a deep frown. “I think so, anyway.”

“Where have you been?! No-one’s seen you for days!” 

Simon gestured with his thumb back towards the bridge where the seelie portal lay. “When we came to the court to rescue you, the Queen said she’d let you and Maia go if I promised to come back to her after the threat from Valentine had passed.”

“And you went?!” Luke asked, exasperated.

“I promised!”

Luke sighed, looking at him hard. “So what happened?” 

“Well, for the first couple of days she just had me sing to her, she liked the singing a lot.” Simon smiled a little, “actually she said I was like the next David Bowie, which was-”

“Simon, what did she want?” Luke pressed, and Simon put his fingers up to his forehead.

“After a while she told that guy Meliorn to ‘prepare the spear’ and the next thing I knew I was tied to a tree and he was, like, branding me, or something. Right here,” he tapped the middle of his forehead. 

Luke tilted his head to the side, his eyebrows furrowed. “Branded you? Like… With a hot iron?”

“Yeah, a hot iron stuck to the end of a spear. She said only a daylighter could survive the ceremony.” Simon remembered, “can you see anything there now?” 

“No, there’s nothing there.” Luke assured him. “And then she just let you go?” 

Simon nodded. “I promised to come by and play her more songs, and she said it was okay for me to leave. She did say something else, though.”

“What did she say?”

Simon swallowed hard. “Though I walk in the daylight, darkness will follow.”

“Damn the seelies and their riddles,” Luke grumbled, “look, I’m not a huge expert on vampire lore. Our best bet is to go to the Institute; they have a library full of books on all kinds of downworlder and demon.”

“Yeah, good idea,” Simon agreed, “Alec will let us have a look, won’t he?” 

Luke nodded. “Sure he will, let’s go.” 

They’d only taken a few steps when Luke’s phone started to ring. Looking at the screen, Luke saw that it was dispatch. He gave Simon an apologetic look, but the vampire just shrugged it off.

“Answer it, it’s fine,” Simon encouraged.

“Garroway?” 

Simon kicked at a loose rock in the path as Luke spoke in hurried tones to whoever was on the other end of the phone. He knew, from years and years of Luke working for the police, what was coming next. “You have to go,” Simon guessed when Luke hung up.

“I’m sorry, kid. I’ll catch up with you later, alright? There’s been a murder, I have to go.” Luke told him, already stepping away.

“Yeah, don’t worry about me, Luke, I’ll be fine,” Simon promised, grimacing once he’d turned away from Luke. He definitely did not know that he’d be fine.

~~~~~~~~~~

Much to Luke’s chagrin, Ollie was already at the crime scene when he arrived. She made a beeline for him the moment he got out of his car, and Luke readied himself for more lying through his teeth. He’d never been great at being dishonest. 

“I thought I told you to take a personal day,” Luke muttered as he walked towards the victim’s body, Ollie falling into step next to him.

“You don’t even own a motorbike,” she said accusingly, “I looked up your DMV records.”

“So naturally that makes me a werewolf,” Luke hissed at her, bending at the knees to get a closer look at the victim. 

“Vic died of a knife wound to the throat, murder weapon was found at point 3,” the forensic examiner told Luke, “fingerprints were found on it, chances are its the husband, who has conveniently disappeared.” 

Luke hummed, thanking god that this seemed to be an open and shut case. As he looked closer at the victim, though, he noticed the black veins that betrayed the fact that a demon had wounded her. His face must have betrayed himself, because Ollie looked sharply between Luke’s face and the victim.

“You know something about this, don’t you? Something is-”

Luke grabbed Ollie’s arm and straightened up, tugging her out of earshot of the other people working the scene. “Look, if people hear you ranting and raving about werewolves, you’ll find yourself sectioned real fast.”

Ollie glared at him. “You know that I’m right.”

“I know that I have a dead woman and a missing husband. Focus on that. What’s the guy’s name?”

“Tim Dempsey,” Ollie answered begrudgingly, “he works at the hospital a few blocks away.”

“Right. Thank you. I’m going to talk to some contacts.”

“Werewolf contacts?” 

Luke gave her a dirty look. “No, angel contacts,” he said, hoping that he sounded sarcastic enough that Ollie wouldn’t believe him.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Magnus!” 

At the sound of his name, Magnus turned to see one of the mundanes from the meeting he’d just left. Jackie, he remembered, giving her a smile. She fell into step next to him and dug her hands in her pockets. She looked about fifty, though mundane addicts tended to age quicker, so it was hard to tell. For a moment they walked in silence, Magnus wondering why she’d approached.

“I know it can be daunting coming to group at first,” she said, shrugging one shoulder, “but it helps. It looked like it was hard for you to open up.” 

Magnus swallowed hard. “It… It’s difficult for me to admit that I need help.”

“That much is obvious. And losing your job is hard, I’ve been there.” Jackie told him. “Do you have someone to go home to? You look like… Well, like you don’t want to be alone. It’s become something of a habit of mine, picking up the young ones and making sure they don’t feel as alone as I did when I was...” She trailed off, nodding slowly. 

“Yes, I do.” Magnus answered, touched by her kindness. Her words resonated with him; he too had taken pleasure in assisting young people who found themselves in unfortunate situations. He understood the balm of using your pain to help another. “I have a boyfriend who’s getting off work in a little while.” 

Jackie’s face lit up at the news. “You do? That’s wonderful. I love a good love story, call me a romantic.”

“He’s wonderful,” Magnus told her, smiling at the thought of Alec. “He’s one of the reasons why I’ve been putting so much effort into staying sober.” 

“Well, that’s beautiful. But you know, one thing I’ve learned in my thirty years of coming to these things…” She stopped them, and put her hand on Magnus’ arm. “You can’t do this for anybody else. You have to do it for yourself.”

Magnus’ breath caught a little at her words. No-one had ever told him that before, not that simply, anyway. And she was right. He couldn’t do this to please anybody, not even Alec. He had to do this out of concern for himself.

Out of love for himself.

“Alec once said to me,” Magnus said softly, “love yourself like I love you.”

Jackie smiled faintly. “He sounds like a smart boy.” 

Magnus nodded. “He is. Kind, too.”

“Then I won’t keep you from him any longer,” Jackie chuckled, reaching up to cup Magnus’ face. “You take care of yourself now, you hear? And I expect to see you tomorrow.” 

“You will,” Magnus promised, laughing a little to himself as he walked away from her. She was probably over 400 years younger than him, yet she’d made him feel like he was just a young lad once more. It was nice. It was nice sharing space with mundanes now and again, especially for this. It put things into perspective. He might no longer be the High Warlock of Brooklyn, but he was still a person, and he was allowed to just be a person.

He’d forgotten that somewhere across the decades.

~~~~~~~~~~

Raj sat down hard on the ground next to the punch bag, panting. He looked at his watch and blew out strongly, letting his body fall back so he was lying on the floor. He’d beaten his personal best by miles. Glad that he could consider today’s training a success, he looked himself over, trying to figure out if his muscles had grown again or whether he was just pumped from the 300-odd punches he’d just thrown. As his breath returned to normal, he sat up again and reached for his towel, rubbing his face and back with it. He definitely needed a shower before morning briefing. 

When he got up and headed for the door, he was surprised to see Simon come around the corner, a pensive look on his face. 

“Simon, what’s up?” Raj asked, his eyebrows furrowing. “Problems at the DuMort?”

“No, something else,” Simon told him, a little distracted by Raj’s pecs for a moment before he dragged his eyes up to Raj’s face. And then he was staring at lips. Simon resolutely lifted his gaze to Raj’s eyes to find them a little guarded, and Simon cleared his throat. “The Seelie Queen branded something into my forehead.”

“She did what?” Raj gasped, his eyes zeroing into Simon’s forehead. “Where?”

“It’s faded now, I think. But there was this fancy ritual for it, so I’m guessing it wasn’t something that just goes away with vampire healing.” 

“Any idea what it looked like?” 

“No, I couldn’t see it, it being on my forehead and all.”

Raj’s watch beeped, and he sighed. “Listen, I have to get to morning briefing, but I’ll meet you in the library as soon as I can, or send another shadowhunter to help you look, okay?” 

“Yeah, I figured… Since you were Head of Intelligence,” Simon nodded.

“You came to the right place,” Raj assured him, patting him on the arm. “I’ll see you in a bit, alright? You know where the library is?”

“Pretty sure,” Simon confirmed, watching as Raj jogged away towards the barracks. “Holy shit.” He whispered, his cheeks feeling a little warm.

~~~~~~~~~~

“The victim’s name was Sarah Dempsey, 37. I noticed that her injuries were made by a demon, and her husband, Tim Dempsey, 36, has gone missing. He’s a nurse at the New Hope hospital across town, and he hasn’t shown up for work this morning. We can’t find a trace of him, and there’s been no activity on his bank account.” Luke explained.

“Presumably Tim Dempsey has been possessed by some kind of demon,” Alec told his senior staff, “though there’s no way of knowing what kind. Catarina works at New Hope, hopefully she knows Dempsey. Other ideas?” 

“Well, if he killed his wife then the demon is probably compelling him to kill those he loves most, right?” Aline pointed out, “we should find out who his closest relatives are and go see if they’ve seen him.”

Alec hummed in agreement, looking around at the team. “Agreed. Raj, you’re with me, we’ll go ask Cat for information. Luke, take Clary and go check on his relatives. Aline, I need you to keep base here, the new staff are arriving tomorrow, I need you to work with Izzy on a plan for checking them for demonic possession and then arming them. After what happened to Jocelyn I don’t want to take any risks. Everybody happy?”

There was a chorus of affirmatives, and Alec nodded. 

“Let’s go to work.” 

~~~~~~~~~~

“All I’m saying is don’t burn yourself out,” Alec insisted, looking around for Cat as they came out of the elevator. “I know that it’s been hard for you since-”

“I’m fine, Alec, I’m feeling good,” Raj shrugged, rolling his shoulders a little. “Working on myself, focussing on work, training. I’ve never been the kinda guy who pines, anyway. It wasn’t me. Part of me thinks he must’ve worked some weird hypnotic shit, I have no idea what I was doing.”

Alec glanced sideways at him. “You were falling in love.”

Raj snorted. “Right.”

“Come on, man, it was real. Your feelings were real. It’s okay to mourn-”

“Alec,” Raj cut over him, “look, not all of us just fall in love and that’s that. I’ll start dating again when I can be bothered. Like I said, right now I’m focussed on myself.”

“Okay,” Alec stressed, “I’m just saying if you need to talk, I’m here. That’s all.”

Raj nodded. “I know, man. Thanks.”

“Boys,” Cat greeted them, looking a little confused. “Your shot isn’t until tomorrow, Alec, I’m not on the GIC ward today.” 

“We’re here on Institute business,” Alec explained to her, “we think that a colleague of yours has been possessed by a demon.” 

Cat’s eyes widened. “Tim?” 

“How’d you know?” Raj asked.

“He didn’t show up for work today. He never misses a day, he loves this place. And the kids missed him. Usually Wednesday is music day, and he brings his guitar in to play for them. No sign of him today, though.” 

“What can you tell us about him?” There was no doubt that Tim Dempsey had been possessed, but why would a demon choose a kind-hearted nurse to kill his equally regular wife? It made no sense to Alec.

“Tim’s a Saint. Like I said, he brings his guitar to sing for the kids every week. He was here last night. Everything was totally normal.” Cat told them, “it was an awful day for all of us, but he was chipper as always.”

“What time did you last see him?” Raj enquired, folding his arms. “He attacked his wife around 10pm.” 

“About an hour before that, when I got off at 9,” Cat shook her head, “I said goodnight to him, I-” Her eyes widened, and she looked at Alec. “I asked him to go and check on this woman who was loitering by the nursery. I’d noticed her when I was on my way out and I thought…” She squinted a little, “I don’t know, I knew she wasn’t meant to be there.”

“You think she was a demon?” 

“Or another possessed mundane, I remember she was wearing a dark dress, and her eye makeup was very stark. Not what you usually see on a new mother.” 

Alec nodded. “Any security cameras?” 

“Yeah, but I don’t have access to the tapes.” Cat admitted, “you’ll have to sneak into the security room or get Luke to apply for access.”

“I’ll do it the legit way,” Alec shrugged, “it’ll only take a little while longer. Thanks for your help, Cat.”

“No problem,” she assured him, tilting her head to the side. “How’s Magnus?” 

“Uh…” Alec’s eyebrows furrowed. “Fine, when I saw him last night. Why?” 

Cat rolled her eyes slightly, shaking her head. “I swear I’m going to wring his neck.” 

“What? Why?”

“He’s devastated, Alec. He sounded like he was completely dissociative when he heard the news, I was worried sick. He went straight to an AA meeting.” Cat told him, “we need to keep a close eye on him.”

“He was? He insisted last night that he was happy that he wasn’t High Warlock anymore.” Alec felt a little sick. “Why did he lie?”

“He probably just doesn’t want you to worry. He hasn’t reached out to me or Ragnor either.” She assured him, “you know what he’s like. He doesn’t like to be a burden to anybody.”

Alec sighed. “Thanks for telling me.”

“Don’t be too hard on him, he’s hurting,” Cat reminded him, and Alec nodded.

“Of course.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“I’m sorry about your title, Magnus,” Raphael said, watching Magnus flit about the apothecary putting things away. Usually he left a mess, Raphael remembered, so he was clearly agitated. 

“Lorenzo Rey has been waiting centuries for his day in the sun,” Magnus growled, “pompous ass probably engineered this whole thing.” He put a vial of zebra tears back on the shelf a little too hard, making a loud thump. 

“I remember him from when I was a kid,” Raphael nodded, “I thought then that he was a snake.”

“You always were a good judge of character,” Magnus smiled slightly. “But enough about me, what can I do for you?”

Raphael’s eyes darted away, looking at the shelves around them. “I need Dagget Root.” 

“The vampire tranquiliser…” Magnus arched an eyebrow. “Why?” 

“A fledgling is having trouble adjusting,” Raphael explained.

Magnus hummed. “Well, lucky for them I am once again open for consultations,” he said, conjuring his diary into his hand. “I can do-”

“That won’t be necessary, we’ve got it,” Raphael interrupted, still not quite meeting Magnus’ eyes.

Suspicious, Magnus crossed the room to get the Dagget Root from the locked cabinet he kept his more dangerous substances in, wondering what could have Raphael acting so strangely. He grabbed the bottle and turned to find Raphael almost toe to toe with him, his hand out expectantly. Magnus held it out and Raphael went to grab it, but Magnus pulled it up out of his reach. 

“What is this really for? What are you not telling me?” 

“What do you mean?” Raphael asked, his eyes on the bottle. 

Magnus narrowed his eyes. “I practically raised you. I can read you like a book written in all capital letters.” He poked Raphael in the centre of the chest. “Tell me.”

With a sigh, Raphael’s shoulders slumped. “It’s for me,” he confessed, swallowing hard. “Rosa isn’t doing too good. They say she only has a couple of weeks… Magnus…” He finally met Magnus’ eyes. “I can’t sleep.”

The hardest thing about Raphael becoming a vampire had been letting go of his family, Magnus remembered. He could see Raphael now, barely fifteen, desperate to control his urges so that he could go home to Rosa, his baby sister. In the end, Raphael had realised that he couldn’t go back to his human life, that he’d have to watch her from the shadows. It had eaten him up inside, but in the last few years, since Rosa’s memory had faded, Raphael had been able to insert himself back into her life. Losing her, Magnus knew, would break his heart.

“Oh, sweet boy,” Magnus said softly, cupping the side of Raphael’s neck. “I’m so sorry.”

For only the third time in his life, Raphael came in for a hug, and Magnus squeezed him tightly as he felt Raphael’s chest heave. “I don’t want to lose her, Magnus.”

“I know,” Magnus whispered, stroking Raphael’s hair. “I know.” As they broke apart, Raphael sniffed, and Magnus pressed the bottle of Dagget Root into Raphael’s hand. “Only one drop a morning, alright? It’s strong.” 

Raphael nodded, clearing his throat a little, straightening his suit. “Thank you.” 

“Let me know if there’s anything else you need, my door is always open.” 

“I will,” Raphael promised.

~~~~~~~~~~

Raj had wandered off when Cat and Alec’s conversation had turned to Magnus. It was none of his business, and he was hungry. He felt like he’d earned a snack with his morning workout, and he was glad to find a vending machine. His stomach growled as he fed in his dollars, but his mood plummeted when his bag of M&Ms got stuck. 

“Are you kidding me?” He whisper-yelled, glancing around to check that no mundanes were looking before taking the sides of the vending machine and shaking it. 

“Whoa, whoa!” A doctor came around the corner to see him, and Raj immediately let go. “Snack got stuck?” 

“Yeah,” Raj nodded, “I’m not trying to break it, I just…”

“Hungry?” 

“Mmm,” Raj agreed, his eyes on the M&M’s. 

“Here, sometimes it takes brains rather than brawn.” The doctor volunteered, feeding in his own dollar and selecting the snack above the M&Ms. When they fell, they brought the M&Ms with them. “There you go.” 

Raj looked at the doctor to give his thanks, but the words died on his lips when he met his eyes. He was really, really cute. And looking at Raj with intent. “Thanks.”

“No problem. You wanna switch?” 

“Uh…”

“I can’t eat almonds, I’m allergic.” The doctor explained.

“Then why’d you choose them?” Raj asked, a flirtatious smirk on his face. 

“It’s the hippocratic oath, I have to help anybody in need.” 

“Oooh,” Raj winced, “does that line ever work?” 

The doctor laughed. “Sometimes.” 

Raj took the almond candy out of the doctor’s hand and gave him the M&Ms. “Enjoy those.” 

“I will.” Raj went to turn away, but the doctor put his hand on Raj’s elbow. 

“Wait… Do you have a name?” 

Raj shrugged. “Do you have a number?”

The doctor’s eyebrows rose a little, and he laughed. “Does that line ever work?”

“Every time,” Raj grinned, popping an almond candy into his mouth. Sure enough, the doctor took his pen from his pocket and wrote his number on Raj’s hand. The doctor’s name was Charlie.

“Do I get that name now?” 

“Raj,” he answered, glancing over at the nurse’s station where he’d left Alec. Sure enough, Alec was watching him with an arched eyebrow. “I gotta go.”

“Call me,” Charlie said, and Raj nodded. 

“What was that about?” Alec asked when Raj went back to him.

“Just canvassing some mundanes,” Raj shrugged.

“Mmmm,” Alec hummed, his eyes dropping to the scribbled number on Raj’s hand. “Sure looked like it.”

“What? He was cute.” 

“Hey, I’m not judging,” Alec insisted, “just watch your step getting into relationships with mundanes.”

Raj snorted. “Oh, Alexander, my naive little gumdrop,” he put his hand on Alec’s shoulder. “You have so much to learn.” 

“I know everything I need to,” Alec shrugged, “I’ve got Magnus.”

“Not all of us are so lucky, man. Some of us have to get our kicks where we can.” 

“Can’t fault that,” Alec chuckled, “come on, we’ve gotta get back to the Institute.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“I was so proud watching your rune ceremony, kiddo,” Luke told her as they got out of the car, heading towards the apartment complex where Tim Dempsey’s father apparently lived. “You were perfect.”

“I wish you could’ve been there,” Clary replied, “I was really nervous.” 

“Everyone is, and you had an even bigger crowd than usual.” 

Clary nodded, her eyes on the ground. “Just felt like kind of a fraud standing up there, like I didn’t really belong.”

“Clary, you killed Valentine. You stopped the wish from being granted. You saved the entire shadow world. You deserve all the praise anyone can give you,” Luke insisted, and Clary’s stomach tightened in knots. “Did you choose your weapons?” 

“Yeah,” Clary was relieved for the change in subject, and pulled out her two daggers. Luke’s eyes immediately fell on the heavier one, his eyebrows furrowing.

“You chose that one? By yourself?” He asked.

Clary frowned. “Yeah, why? I know it used to belong to a member of the Circle, but Izzy said-”

“That’s Valentine’s dagger.” Luke told her, “I’d recognise my parabatai’s weapon anywhere.”

“What?” Clary felt like throwing it on the ground. “W-what does that mean?” 

Luke shrugged one shoulder. “It means that he’ll always be a part of you, kiddo.”

Clary swallowed hard. “I don’t want him to be.”

“There’s darkness in all of us,” Luke pointed out, his eyebrows climbing up his forehead when he noticed the other dagger in her hand. “You… You chose that one, too?” 

“Yeah,” Clary looked at him nervously, “whose was this, Satan’s?” 

“It was mine,” Luke said quietly, holding out his hand for it. Clary let him take it and he spun it around in his hand, the muscle memory still there even after all those years. “One of mine. I had two.” He looked at her with eyes brimming with pride. “So now you have a balance. A balance of darkness, and love.” 

“Light, you mean,” Clary corrected him, “darkness and light.”

Luke sighed. “I’m a downworlder, Clary.”

“And the best man I’ve ever known.” She insisted, squeezing his hand when he handed the dagger back to her. 

“I don’t know what I’d have done without you the last few months,” Luke said softly, and Clary went in for a hug, but Luke’s phone rang, and the two of them sighed. “Garroway.” 

“I’ve got Tim Dempsey,” Ollie told him, and Luke tensed.

“Ollie, let him be. I’ll be right there. Call for backup.”

“He’s just one guy, Luke, I’m not completely incompetent,” Ollie scoffed, “I got this. I found him at his father’s place.”

She hung up before Luke could give her another warning, and he started running towards the father’s address, Clary hot on his heels. When they reached the street, they found an old man staring at a broken window with his mouth hanging open. It seemed that Tim Dempsey had smashed through it in an attempt to get away from Ollie, into an indoor flea market which was, thankfully, closed. Luke jumped through the window and quickly stripped out of his shirt and trousers, Clary moving past him to check the perimeter as he shifted to his wolf form. It was easier to pick up the fairly unfamiliar scent of Ollie once he had the nose of a wolf, and he raced through the shuttered up stalls just in time to see Ollie shoot Tim Dempsey three times in the chest. 

“Oh my God,” Ollie breathed as Dempsey kept on coming, and Luke barrelled into the possessed mundane, latching onto his arm with his jaws. The strength that the demon had given Tim Dempsey was no joke, though, and it threw Luke away like a rag doll. Luke hit the wall with a loud crunch, and Luke felt his hind leg give when he tried to get back to his feet. His werewolf healing was quickly mending the bone, but not quick enough. Luke whined in pain, struggling to move back towards Tim Dempsey. He was forced to watch as Dempsey grabbed hold of Ollie, tossing her aside like he had Luke.

“Hey!” Clary cried, coming out of nowhere and hurling one of her daggers at the possessed mundane. It caught the dagger and tossed it aside, but it distracted him long enough for Luke to get his injured leg back under him, and both he and Clary launched themselves at Tim Dempsey. Luke locked his jaws around the back of Tim Dempsey’s neck and Clary stabbed him through the leg. Rather than erupting from Tim Dempsey’s mouth like a regular possession demon, though, Tim Dempsey’s chest burst open to free a huge insect-like demon. Luke and Clary dropped what was left of Tim Dempsey and watched the demon fly around the rafters of the market.

“What I wouldn’t give to have Alec or Aline here right now,” Clary muttered, and Luke huffed in agreement. “Here goes nothing.” She aimed her remaining dagger at the demon, but the demon flew out of its path, and Clary grunted with frustration, snatching up her stele. Luke chased it towards her as it flew low, and Clary unleashed her sunlight rune as it swooped down to attack her. With a screech, the demon disintegrated into dust, and Clary let out a sigh of relief. 

“Go and get dressed,” Clary told Luke, “I’ll make sure Ollie’s okay.” She ran over to the mundane detective, checking her pulse and her breathing. She’d known first aid since she was thirteen, thanks to Luke, and she was pretty sure that Ollie just had a concussion. 

“She good?” Luke asked, jogging up to them in his trousers, pulling his shirt on hastily.

“I think so, call an ambulance just to be sure.” Clary answered, getting to her feet.

“Get back to the Institute, tell Alec what we saw.” 

“Will do.” Clary nodded, “you good?” 

“I’m okay,” Luke promised, already on the phone. “I’ll catch up with you later.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“You think we’ve covered everything?” Aline asked, looking over the list of security checks she’d written down. 

“This is all we can do without the help of a warlock,” Izzy shrugged, “and Alec told me not to ask Magnus if we can help it.” 

Aline’s eyebrows furrowed. “Is Magnus okay?” 

“He lost his position as High Warlock,” Izzy explained, going down the list of weapons she’d need to organise ready for tomorrow. 

“Whoa, that’s rough.”

Izzy nodded, sighing softly. “I know. I’m gonna go over with lush products in a couple of days, but I figure he needs a day or two to be by himself first.” 

“Yeah, that sounds like a plan.” Aline smiled, “it’s so nice how he’s become part of your family.” 

“Of course, Alec loves him. Besides, he’s a great friend. He’s always been there for me as much as he’s been there for Alec.” 

Aline nodded, biting the inside of her cheek. “And Alec mentioned that Maryse talks to him now, they text.”

“Yeah,” Izzy nodded slowly, looking at Aline with curiosity. “Why?” 

“Just…” Aline shrugged, fiddling with her papers. “Must be nice.”

Izzy’s gaze softened. “I’m sure you’ll get there someday. Your Mom is-”

“The most powerful woman in the Clave. And as such, expects nothing short of perfection.” Aline finished, her eyes still on the pages in front of her.

Izzy reached over to still Aline’s hand. “Hey. I thought that about my Mom too,” she reminded Aline, which seemed to be something of a comfort to the other woman. “They can surprise you.” 

“I hope so,” Aline said quietly.

Izzy smiled reassuringly. “Your Mom loves you. She’ll accept it, it’ll just take some time.”

“I just can’t wait for me and Helen to finally be stationed at the same Institute,” Aline admitted, “I hate long-distance. It’s been awful.”

“Yeah I can’t imagine being away from Clary and Maia for more than a couple of days, it would be awful.”

“Oh, it is. And there’s no WiFi in the Alicante barracks so we couldn’t even video chat privately.”

“That sounds like hell,” Izzy shook her head, “how long’s it been since you were together properly?” 

“Nearly six months. We’ve seen each other for a couple of hours here and there, but we haven’t spent 24 hours together in five months and eighteen days.” Aline smiled a little, “but tomorrow I get to see her.”

“Ahhh,” Izzy bounced in her seat a little, “that’s so exciting!”

“I know, I know I’m not sleeping tonight, I can barely eat. I just want her back, I’ve missed her so much.” 

Izzy cooed, resting her chin on her hand and her elbow on the workbench. “I’ll do as much as I can tomorrow with the newbies so you can get away with her early.” 

“It’s okay,” Aline shrugged, “we waited almost six months, we can wait until after our shifts are over. I don’t want to set a precedent.” 

Izzy giggled, “well, you have more dedication than me or Alec if that’s the case.” 

Aline snorted. “Both of you are whipped, that’s why.”

“Oh and you’re not? Miss Counting-The-Days,” Izzy teased.

“I’m the one who wears the pants,” Aline insisted, “if either of us are whipped, it’s Helen.” 

“I’ll believe that when I see it,” Izzy countered, and Aline stuck her tongue out at her.

~~~~~~~~~~

Luke went to the hospital to wait for Ollie to wake up. There was no way he could convince her that Tim Dempsey was a regular murderer; she’d seen him survive three bullets to the chest. He’d already tried having Simon glamour her once; she must have some safeguard to remind her of the truth if she got her memory wiped. Evidently she’d done her homework.

He couldn’t see any other option. He had to tell her the truth. 

When she woke up, she immediately went to sit up, remembering the situation she’d been in, and Luke soothed her, putting himself in her line of vision so that she knew she was safe. “What happened?” She demanded.

“We got him,” Luke told her, “he’s not gonna hurt anyone else.”

“Who’s we?” Ollie asked, “the pack?” 

Luke shook his head, swallowing hard. “No, my daughter and I.”

“The girl from the Jade Wolf?” 

“No,” Luke answered, “that’s Maia. I have another daughter.” 

“Oh.” Ollie looked at him, her eyebrows furrowed. “That was you, wasn’t it? The wolf that saved me.” 

Luke glanced around. No-one was paying attention to them. “Yes,” he admitted, sighing deeply. “I didn’t want you to know because this, you knowing about the shadow world, puts you in great, great danger.” 

“The shadow world?” Ollie sat up slowly, unblinking. 

“All the legends are true,” Luke told her. “Werewolves, vampires, warlocks, angels.” 

Ollie raised her eyebrows. “Whoa.”

“You cannot tell anyone,” Luke insisted, leaning close. “I could be executed for telling you this. And I can’t stress how dangerous it is, you knowing. You have to be very, very careful.”

“I will be,” Ollie promised, nodding once. “Am I going to get an apology for you lying to me?”

“I only did it protect you,” Luke insisted, “but yes, I’m sorry for lying to you. I hated doing it, but I didn’t have a choice.” 

Ollie could see his seriousness on his face, and her expression grew grave. “I don’t take this lightly, Luke, I promise.” 

Luke nodded, looking away. He had the worst feeling that he’d just signed her death certificate.

~~~~~~~~~~

Simon was apologetic when Raj met with him in the library after they’d returned from the hospital and Alec had gone to complete the paperwork to get the hospital CCTV footage. The vampire seemed twitchy, like he felt guilty about something. Raj suspected that he felt guilty for existing, and he could relate to that feeling, so he was as kind as possible.

“It’s part of my job,” Raj assured him, “and even if it wasn’t, I’d help you.”

“Oh.” Simon seemed to relax a little at that, and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I appreciate that.” 

“Any time,” Raj shrugged. “We’re friends.”

Simon chuckled nervously. “Yes. Yes, we are.” 

Raj arched his eyebrow. “Why are you being weird?” 

“I’m not…” Simon looked like he was staring down the barrel of a gun. “I’m not being weird.”

“You are being weird,” Raj pressed, taking a book on vampires down from the shelf. “You look twitchy, like there’s something you’re not telling me.”

Simon scratched the back of his head. “It’s stupid.”

“Probably,” Raj agreed, a wry smile on his face, “but spit it out so I can relax.” 

“I didn’t expect… You know, earlier.” 

Raj narrowed his eyes, trying to decipher what exactly Simon was getting at. 

“I didn’t expect you to be fucking ripped, man!” Simon said hurriedly, and Raj were sure that if he weren’t a vampire he’d be blushing. 

It still didn’t quite make sense to Raj, but he nodded slowly. “Right. Well… I am a shadowhunter. And I’ve been training hard the last few weeks, thanks for noticing. Oh!” He looked at Simon again, feeling his own cheeks heat up. “Oh.” 

“I told you it was stupid,” Simon muttered.

So Simon had a crush. Raj had to admit, he’d thought more than a couple of times about the kisses they’d shared at Max’s rune ceremony celebration. “I’m flattered,” he said, “but after the whole Jonathan thing, I don’t think-”

“No, I know, I know,” Simon insisted, “you don’t have to say it. I get it. Dude was enough to put anyone off dating. I get it.” 

“Right,” Raj nodded. “Well… Good.”

It was a little awkward for a moment, but Simon pointed to the book in Raj’s hand. “So… Vampire lore?”

“Yeah!” Raj enthused, maybe a little too much. He put the book on the table in the centre of the room, licking his pointer finger to flick through the pages. “Let’s see if daylighters can take shadowhunter runes, it might have been one of those.” 

“Yeah, yeah, that makes sense.” 

~~~~~~~~~~

“Have you been practising? You’re on fine form tonight, Alexander.” Magnus hummed, surveying the pool table. 

“You mean that?” Alec asked casually, chalking the end of his cue.

Magnus paused where he was bending to take his shot, glancing up at his boyfriend. “Yes…?”

“It’s just that you seem to be saying things you don’t necessarily mean lately…” Alec murmured, blowing the excess chalk dust off the top of his cue.

“What?” Magnus straightened up, one eye slightly narrowed in confusion. “What are you getting at, Alexander?”

“Well, you said that you were… What was the word? Elated? To not be High Warlock anymore, but I find out through the grapevine that actually you’re pretty devastated.” Alec shrugged, “so you can see where I was confused.” 

Magnus sighed. “Who told you that?” 

“It doesn’t matter,” Alec insisted softly, coming around the pool table to stand in front of Magnus. “Why did you lie to me?” 

“Because…” Magnus swallowed hard, his eyes avoiding Alec’s. “As far as we’ve come… I guess I still have trouble being honest when I know the truth would make you worry about me or make you feel bad.” 

“I’m here for you, always,” Alec promised, “you never have to squash your feelings to protect mine. When I was dishonest with you for your own good, the soul sword mess happened. We need to trust each other if this is going to work.” 

“I do trust you.” Magnus replied insistently, his fingers reaching out to curl in Alec’s shirt. “More than just about anybody. But… I didn’t want you to worry about me. And I wanted to be okay with it. I really did. I thought if I said I felt good about it, it would start being true.”

“That makes sense,” Alec admitted. 

Magnus nodded. “The truth is I’m…” He met Alec’s eyes. “I’m going to AA meetings again, and I feel like shit. And… I don’t want you to take the job on the Council.”

“Then why did you say that I should?” Alec asked gently, though he thought he already knew the answer. 

“Because this is your life, and I know that your career means a lot to you. This is a big deal and I didn’t want you to put your life plan in jeopardy just because of me.” 

Alec snorted softly, cupping Magnus’ face in his hands. “When are you going to get it into your head that YOU are my life plan? The entire plan. All I care about.”

Magnus’ fingers encircled Alec’s wrist, leaning his face into his boyfriend’s touch. “It’s selfish of me to ask you to turn this thing down just because I feel a certain way about it.”

“Babe, all I care about is how you feel. And if you think I wouldn’t do the same thing if our positions were reversed… Call me a brat but I’d be quite vocal about my preference for you to stay in New York.”

“I have no doubt,” Magnus chuckled, his thumb petting the back of Alec’s hand. “So… You’re not going to take the job?” 

Alec kissed Magnus’ little pout. “I’m not going anywhere.” 

~~~~~~~~~~

Maia was relieved that the Hunter’s Moon was quiet tonight, because it meant she could finish off her reading for class while she was washing up glasses. She was a little distracted by whatever intense discussion Magnus and Alec were having across the room though, her eyes wandering to the two men more than once. They were so tactile with each other, and their gazes so openly vulnerable when their eyes met. Maia wondered if she’d ever reach that level with Clary and Izzy. She cared about the two women, but she couldn’t quite imagine looking into their eyes with that kind of helplessness. Would she ever fully lower her guard? 

She just couldn’t picture it. 

But then, she told herself, she never thought that she’d ever settle either. When the three of them agreed to only sleep with each other, Maia had been a little nervous, but she hadn’t missed any of her old booty calls. She hadn’t even thought about casual sex. She’d rather spend an evening cuddling up with Clary and Izzy showing Izzy all the childhood classics she’d missed being a shadowhunter.

Smiling at the memory of Izzy’s enthusiasm about The Lion King, Maia turned her attention back to drying the wine glasses. She looked up when the bell over the door jingled, a little surprised when she saw it was Luke coming in. He didn’t usually come by the Hunter’s Moon in the evening, so her first thought was that something was going on with the pack.

“Hey,” Luke nodded at her as he sat down on the bar stool closest to her, “quiet night?” 

“Yeah, just the way I like it.” Maia confirmed. “What are you doing here?” 

“Just got out of work, thought I’d come to ask how the pack’s doing.” 

Maia’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why would I know?” 

“Well if nobody’s gotten in touch with you, there can’t be anything major going on.” Luke pointed out.

“You’re supposed to be the alpha, Luke, you need to be looking after us. I haven’t seen you at the Jade Wolf in like three days.” Maia reminded him, shaking her head. “Valentine might be gone but we still need you.”

“I know,” Luke muttered, “but I’ve been busy at work trying to figure out these demonic murders.” 

“That’s Alec’s job, not yours. Your duty is to the pack.” 

“Life’s not as black and white as that, Maia, you know that.” Luke pointed out, resting his elbows on the bar. “As much as I want to be there for the pack, I have other responsibilities too. You’ll understand what I mean when you’re alpha.” 

Maia arched her eyebrow. “What are you talking about, when I’m alpha?” 

“I’m not going to be young forever,” Luke shrugged, “you’re the obvious choice to lead the next generation. We both know it.” 

Maia straightened up a little. “You think I’m…? So, what, you’re leaving me to deal with everything as practise?” 

“No, I’m just saying that one day you’ll understand how difficult it is to juggle everything.” Luke stressed, “I mean, by then you’ll probably be settled down with Izzy and Clary, and working with marine-”

“If I became alpha I would make it my priority, because it’s not just about my life, it’s about the lives of the entire pack. I wouldn’t allow anything to distract me from that.” Maia insisted.

Luke looked at her, the way she was damn near glaring at him, and he believed her. “Alright. Alright, I get your point. Alec is on the case of these murders now, I’ll try and be at the Jade Wolf more.” 

Maia nodded. “Good.” 

“So can I get a beer now or am I firmly on the naughty step?” He asked tentatively, and Maia snorted, grabbing a beer for him out of the fridge behind her and giving it to him along with a bottle opener.


	2. Episode 2: The Powers That Be

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a rough couple of days in this fandom, I hope that this fluff-filled chapter cheers you all up a little bit!
> 
> Trigger warnings:
> 
> Anxiety: Both Magnus and Alec feel anxious at the warlock party.
> 
> References to alcoholism/ableism against addiction: Lorenzo tries to get under Magnus’ skin by bringing up his addiction, acting like he’s better than Magnus because he’s drinking.
> 
> Injury: As in canon, Rufus loses his arm. It’s not described in detail.
> 
> Sex references: During the shower scene, Alec references getting fingered. It’s brief, blink-and-you-miss-it.
> 
> Cis boy nonsense: Simon is kind of a fuck-boy, but Maia and Bat call him on his shit.
> 
> Discrimination/prejudice: Russell has a go at Maia about Simon being in the Jade Wolf, and Maia tells him off, as in canon.
> 
> Reference to transphobic micro-aggression: Aline tells Maia she has a ‘probing’ question and Maia assumes that she’s going to ask about “”””””the surgery”””””””””, but Aline actually wants to ask about werewolf stuff. Maia is embarrassed for assuming, but Izzy reassures her.
> 
> Awkward situations regarding transness: Helen and Maia slept together before Maia came out, and they both feel a little awkward about it because they don’t know how the other person feels about it.
> 
> Homophobia: Aline talks about pretending to date Alec when they were both around 18, because of the homophobia they both feared from their parents. She remembers it fondly, they were two friends helping each other out, but the situation isn’t ideal.
> 
> Death: As in canon, an unnamed character who was on life support dies when Catarina loses control of her magic at the hospital.
> 
> Racism: Lydia takes Raj’s place in canon and gets her ass handed to her by Helen for it. Additionally, Simon kinda has some internalised anti-downworlder feeling - he's trying to learn how to eat human food so he can be 'less vampire-ish' around Raj.
> 
> Violence: As in canon, Simon’s mark goes off and injures a wolf. The injuries are not described in detail.
> 
> Kidnapping/missing person: At the very end of the chapter Luke discovers that Ollie is missing via a distressed phone call from Sam.

Alec was sort of used to feeling uncomfortable. At least, he had been before top surgery. It had been months since Alec felt like he wanted to crawl out of his own skin and hide in a sewer. But here, walking up the path towards a mansion full of warlocks, knowing damn well that he wasn’t invited or expected, had him feeling anxious. As always, Magnus seemed to know exactly what he was thinking, and squeezed his hand.

“Are you sure about this? I don’t know that I’m going be welcomed here,” Alec murmured as they neared the door. 

“Alexander, I assure you, everyone will be perfectly polite to you. There’s no rule saying that shadowhunters can’t attend, especially when said shadowhunter is the ex-High Warlock’s plus-one.” Magnus smiled, running his thumb along the back of Alec’s hand. “Though if you really feel that anxious we don’t have to go in.”

“We?” Alec side-eyed his boyfriend. “But you have to go.”

Magnus sighed. 

“You don’t want to be here either, do you?” Alec asked suspiciously.

“Do I want to be in a room full of people who voted me incompetent? Do I want to be in a room with the smarmy asshole who stole my position from me?” Magnus grumbled, and Alec smiled slightly. 

“Alright, let’s do this. I’m right here.” Knowing that Magnus was just as anxious as he was made Alec feel a lot better. “Ragnor and Cat are gonna be there, right?” 

“And Dot and Madzie,” Magnus nodded, taking a deep breath. “Okay. After you.” He rushed to hold the door open for Alec, which made Alec laugh lightly. Once he came through the door, he pulled Magnus after him and planted a kiss on his lips. 

“It’s gonna be okay,” Alec promised, “the worst they can do is act smug.”

Magnus narrowed his eyes slightly, a little smirk on his face. “You say that like that alone wouldn’t start a fight.” 

Alec snorted, and pulled Magnus further in the mansion. “Best behaviour, babe, I’d hate to have to arrest you.”

“Is that a threat or a promise?” Magnus teased, his hand slipping down Alec’s back. 

His cheeks blazing, Alec leaned into Magnus’ side, turning his face to whisper in Magnus’ ear. “Don’t start something you can’t finish, Mr Bane.” 

Magnus hummed, reaching for Alec’s hand once again. “Noted.”

“So which one is the smarmy asshole?” Alec asked, shaking his head at the server who was walking over to them with a tray of drinks. 

“Over there. The guy with the lanky ponytail.” Magnus murmured, nodding towards a man who was standing with a small group, all of them laughing that annoying fake laugh that Alec knew well from his time spent in Alicante functions. 

As if he’d sensed the two men eyeballing him, Lorenzo looked up and fixed Magnus with a sly smile. “Magnus Bane!” He called, walking away from the group. 

Magnus hastily went to turn away, but Alec caught him around the chest and steered him to meet Lorenzo in the middle of the room. “Lorenzo,” Magnus greeted warily. 

“Oh, where are the servers? Neither of you have a drink!”

“That won’t be necessary,” Alec insisted, but Magnus patted him on the arm. 

“Nonsense, Alec, have a drink. I’m fine,” Magnus assured him, conjuring himself a glass of mint-infused lemonade.

“Oh, yes, I forgot about your…”

“Careful, Lorenzo.” Magnus warned, his eyes flashing. 

Alec hadn’t seen Magnus like this before. He’d never seen anyone dare square up to Magnus, as powerful as he was, and he’d never seen Magnus stepping up to defend himself like this, either. It was unsettling. “Magnus is intelligent enough to recognise that he is better off without certain substances,” he said pointedly, and Lorenzo turned his attention to Alec.

“I don’t believe we’ve been formally introduced,” Lorenzo said, his eyes flitting over the rune on Alec’s neck. 

Magnus clenched his jaw. “Lorenzo Rey, meet Alexander Lightwood, Head of the New York Institute.” 

“No alcohol and a shadowhunter paramour,” Lorenzo drawled, dragging his eyes back to Magnus. “You certainly are a warlock of unique taste, Bane.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand,” Magnus said coolly, sipping his lemonade, “how’s that last wife of yours, by the way?”

The grind of Lorenzo’s teeth was audible, and Alec’s eyes darted between the two warlocks. “I wouldn’t know,” Lorenzo gritted out.

“Last I heard she was engaged to that awful French billionaire,” Magnus said casually, smiling sweetly. “Must sting a little.”

“Hardly,” Lorenzo answered. He swiftly turned his attention back to Alec. “I look forward to working with you on your downworld cabinets, Mr Lightwood,” he said, his eyes hard. “But I won’t be as easy on you as he was. I have no intention of acting as your personal shuttle service.” 

Alec narrowed his eyes at Lorenzo, but quickly schooled his expression back to a polite one when Lorenzo smiled. “Of course not, Mr Rey,” Alec responded, tilting his head to the side a little. “I’m sure we’ll have a very productive relationship.”

“I look forward to figuring out what exactly about you has the New York downworld eating out of the palm of your hand like a pack of stray kittens,” Lorenzo said it like an accusation, glancing around the room. “I must go and speak to an old friend. Enjoy the party, gentlemen.” 

Magnus and Alec watched him go with grim relief. “Who the fuck put him in charge?” Alec demanded quietly.

“It’s a vote,” Magnus told him, “and I’m told he won very convincingly. I told you before, his only talent is his…” His lip curled, “charm.”

“He’s about as charming as a rattlesnake,” Ragnor muttered as he wandered up to them. “But nepotism is a very real force in this god forsaken city.” 

“Well I know for damn sure I didn’t vote for him,” Cat volunteered, looping her arm through Magnus’. 

“Oh, he’s very electable,” Magnus sneered, “if you like delusional egotistical pieces of sh-”

“Language!” Alec sing-songed as Madzie leapt down from her chair across the room and launched herself at his legs.

“Alec!” Madzie skidded to a halt in front of him, dragging him away from the others to play. 

“I don’t know why he’s worried about Madzie overhearing curse words,” Cat sighed, “Dot curses like a sailor when she stubs her toe.” 

“Where is she?” Magnus asked, glancing around. 

“She snuck out to go and get some real alcohol. My drink is weak as hell,” Cat told him, which made Magnus snort. “What? I need it to get through this snooze fest.” 

“I cannot believe that Lorenzo is now responsible for New York,” Ragnor grumbled, “he couldn’t even handle being the High Warlock of Madrid’s Personal Assistant. And he only got that job because he was sleeping with her.” 

“What are you doing here, anyway? You’re not a warlock of New York.” Cat asked.

“What was he going to do, turn me away? Ha!” Ragnor scoffed, “I’d like to see the little weasel try.”

Magnus chuckled, his eyes straying to where Alec was crouched down playing thumb wars with Madzie, pretending quite convincingly to lose. Cat and Ragnor gave each other a knowing look when they caught Magnus watching Alec. 

“I can’t believe you brought him just to piss Lorenzo off,” Cat nudged Magnus, who waved the idea away.

“Nonsense. I brought him because he’s my boyfriend.” Magnus insisted, though he winked at her. 

Ragnor hummed, arching one bushy eyebrow. “If I didn’t know any better, Junior, I’d say that you’re starting to consider our dear Alexander husband material.” 

“What?” Magnus looked like a deer in headlights, and Ragnor smirked. “He’s only twenty six, he’s-”

“Approaching thirty, and for mortals that’s prime marriage time,” Cat pointed out.

Magnus took a very long sip of his lemonade, Ragnor and Cat waiting faux-patiently for his response. “It may have crossed my mind once or twice.” 

“Once or twice,” Cat repeated, giggling a little. “Right. Well he’s good with kids, I’ll give him that. Madzie is obsessed with him.” 

“He’s a good boy,” Ragnor nodded, “you could do worse, Junior.” 

“He’s the best partner I’ve had in centuries,” Magnus admitted, a little smile on his face. “And the only one I’ve ever imagined having children with.”

“Aw, our little Magnus is growing up,” Cat cooed. 

“Hush,” Magnus chuckled, “I’m taking things slow with him. I don’t want to scare him away.”

“Lucifer himself couldn’t scare Alec away from you.” Ragnor pointed out, accurately.

Alec looked over at them like he’d heard his name, and Magnus smiled nervously, hoping that he hadn’t overheard what they’d been saying. As Alec straightened up to rejoin them, Magnus heard a quiet cry across the room, and everyone looked to see Lorenzo’s skin shimmer and reveal the pearlescent scales that made up his warlock mark. Catarina looked down at herself to see that her skin was blue, and Madzie let out little sparks of golden magic. 

“What’s happening?” Alec demanded, yelping as Madzie’s magic gave him a shock in the arm. 

Magnus looked around to see all the warlocks in the room struggling to control their magic, errant wisps bursting out. 

“Screw this, I’m getting out of here!” Magnus recognised Rufus’ voice to the left of him, and before he could be angry at Lorenzo for allowing a drug dealer back into his city, Rufus tried to cast a portal which quickly turned scarlet red, hovering dangerously towards Rufus. The man screamed as the portal moved up his arm, sending the molecules of the flesh disappearing to god-knows-where. Rufus collapsed to the ground and the errant portal moved away from him, making a beeline for Madzie. 

Alec shoved Madzie behind him and ducked down, shielding her body with his, and Magnus rushed forwards, using all the focus he had to blast the portal into smithereens. Ragnor reached out with his magic and caught the shards, banishing them somewhere they couldn’t hurt anybody. Panting from the effort of controlling the magic which had tried to burst out of him unbidden, Magnus looked around the room to see that the other warlocks had all regained control of their magic, too. 

Lorenzo was glaring at him, jaw set, and Magnus relaxed his defensive stance, rushing over to check that Alec and Madzie were alright as Ragnor attended to Rufus. 

“We’re okay,” Alec assured him, lifting Madzie up to sit on his hip. “Magnus, what was that? What happened?” 

“I have no idea,” Magnus admitted, the sense of unease palpable in the room.

~~~~~~~~~~

“So there’s really nothing here about this ritual?” Simon asked, crestfallen. He’d had a good feeling walking over here, confident that Raj would’ve found something, anything, to explain what exactly the Seelie Queen had done to him.

Raj hated to admit it, but, “no, the Seelie Queen is very secretive. We don’t have all that much information on seelie rituals or even seelie magic. And according to the lore on daylighters, they can’t take runes, so we’ve ruled that out. We have a limited library here, and I’ve done about as much research as I can with what I’ve got.” 

“So what now?” Simon looked down at the books Raj had laid out on the table. 

“Well, I can apply for access to other Institute libraries. One Institute on each continent is designed for academic research rather than defense, like this one. Brisbane, Stockholm, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Alexandria and Boston. We might have better luck researching at one of those libraries.” Raj explained.

“There’s no like, service where you can order books in from other libraries? ‘Cause the one at college does that and it’s actually very convenient.” 

Raj snorted. “No, a lot of these books are hundreds of years old. And the Silent Brothers run these libraries, so… They’re not the most modern guys.” 

“So you want us to go to a spooky five hundred year old library crawling with Silent Brothers?” Simon asked, his nerves evident in his voice.

“The Silent Brothers are harmless,” Raj assured him.

Simon still wasn’t convinced. “Which one would we go to?” 

“Alexandria is the oldest,” Raj shrugged, “it would make sense to go there, especially since the sunlight doesn’t affect you.” 

“So just me and you are gonna go on a trip to Alexandria?” 

“Oh, wait,” Raj snapped his fingers as he remembered a very important detail. “Alexandria doesn’t allow downworlders. It’ll have to be Shanghai or Boston.” 

“Do you speak Mandarin?” Simon asked, “‘cause I sure don’t.”

“Boston it is,” Raj chuckled. “I won’t be able to go for a couple of days, we’re welcoming new staff and I need to be here for orientation.” 

“No problem,” Simon shrugged, “I’d have to make arrangements for the clan anyway.” 

“How’s it going over at the DuMort?” 

The grim look on Simon’s face told him everything he needed to know. “Raphael’s sister is very sick, so he’s not in a good place. He’s still really mad at me for protecting Clary during the soul sword thing. I’m trying not to be there too much.” 

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” Raj assured him, “you got this.” 

“Thanks, man.” 

The two men stood for a moment, awkwardness descending when both struggled to think of another point of conversation. Neither wanted to make a move to leave, but neither knew what else there was to say.

“I’ll call you when I know what day I can take you to Boston,” Raj volunteered after a lengthy moment, and Simon nodded.

“Yeah, thanks. I’d better get back to the DuMort.” Simon made a hasty retreat, and Raj sighed. He hoped for both their sakes that Simon got over his crush sooner rather than later. His phone pinged with a message from Charlie, the doctor he’d met the week before, and Raj smirked. With a quick glance up at the clock on the wall, he saw that his graveyard shift would be over in half an hour. He told Charlie that he’d meet him at his place in an hour, and willed the rest of his shift to go by quickly.

~~~~~~~~~~

Maia made a point to swing by the Institute before her morning class so that she could get first dibs on Clary and Izzy’s evenings, before they volunteered to pick up extra shifts. The three of them had been having a lot of fun together, bonding and showing Izzy the joys of mundane life, but Maia wanted to take them out for some serious romance. Neither Izzy or Clary had been wined and dined properly in years, and Maia had made it her mission to change that. 

Clary wasn’t there when Maia arrived at Izzy’s workshop, and for a moment Maia watched Izzy tinker, humming a soft tune. She was utterly absorbed in her work, assembling what looked like a bracelet. 

“You into jewelry making, now?” Maia asked after a moment, and Izzy jumped a little at the sound of her voice, but the startled look on her face soon gave way to a smile.

“How long have you been standing there?” She asked, tucking some of her hair behind her ear.

Maia shrugged, walking over for a kiss. “Long enough. What’s with the bracelet?” 

“I’m updating the amulet that Magnus made for Camille. I asked him if I could tweak it, and he said yes, so…” Izzy picked up the wrought silver she’d been working on. “I’m putting the demon-sensing gem into the bracelet that turns into my weapon.” She shook the bracelet, and the silver flowed into a long whip, a gap in the handle ready for the gem. She shook it again and it stiffened into a staff. 

“I didn’t realise that it was a bracelet that did that, I assumed you just kept your whip in your pants or something.” Maia said, awed. “How do you make the silver do that?” 

“It’s not silver, it’s adamas,” Izzy explained, “it’s magical, has a mind of its own.” She was looking at Maia with amusement in her eyes. “And where did you think I was hiding the whip when I wear those skin-tight pants you like?” 

Maia giggled. “Honestly when you’re wearing those pants, the last thing I’m thinking about is your weapon.” 

“Are you two flirting without me?” Clary had a pout in her voice when the two women turned to look at her. “How could you?” 

Izzy cooed at the redhead, accepting the kiss that Clary pressed to her lips. “Promise I’ve got plenty of attention for you too, Scrappy.” 

“I thought being a brat was Izzy’s thing?” Maia teased, smiling when Clary turned to her to give her a kiss, too. 

Clary grinned, her hand skimming down Maia’s arm. “Where do you think she got it from?” 

The three of them laughed softly. 

“What are you doing here so early, anyway?” Izzy asked, glancing up at the clock.

“Well, I have a morning class and I wanted to drop by and ask if you two wanted to go for a nice romantic dinner tonight. And I figured the earlier I got here the better chance I had that you wouldn’t have any plans to do whatever it is shadowhunters do.” Maia shrugged, “we haven’t had a proper romantic date yet, and I figured no time like the present, right?”

“That sounds amazing,” Izzy sighed, “but on one condition.” 

Maia raised an eyebrow at her, a question in her eyes.

“Me and Clary have to plan the night. You’ve put so much effort into us doing stuff together,” she pointed out, “let us plan something for you.” 

“She’s right, you’re always the one asking us to do things,” Clary agreed, “pretty sure it was your idea to go bowling too.”

“You’re busy, I get it.” Maia shrugged, “Luke’s been filling me in on the weird demonic murder he’s got you on.”

“Still,” Izzy pressed, “let us do something nice for you.” 

Maia smiled. “Well I’m not going to say no to that.” 

“We’ll pick you up at eight,” Clary insisted, “sweep you off your feet.” 

“You don’t have to go nuts with it, just a dinner is fine.” Maia assured them, knowing that the two of them were innate overachievers. 

“We’ll see you at eight,” Izzy confirmed, “now go, you’ll be late to class.”

“Kiss before I go?” Maia asked, and both Izzy and Clary kissed her on the cheeks. “Alright, I’ll see you later.”

“Miss you already,” Clary told her, and Maia rolled her eyes, though her pleased little grin told them that she’d liked the sappiness.

Once Maia was gone, Izzy and Clary sighed. 

“We’ve really gotta pull something out of the bag.” Izzy muttered, and Clary nodded.

“I’ll call Magnus for restaurant recommendations,” she suggested, “he and Alec have been everywhere.”

“Make sure it’s somewhere we can get a cab to,” Izzy reminded her, “we don’t want to have to ask for a portal.” 

“Got it,” Clary replied, pressing her phone to her ear.

~~~~~~~~~~

Alec loved the shower at Magnus’ place. Back at the Institute, his shower was cramped and he only had room for a couple of bottles in the corner. Magnus’ shower was big enough for three people, and had a whole shelf of different pleasant-smelling products. He’d been working his way through them over the last couple of months, but he always ended up doing his second shampoo with the rich whiskey-brown one that smelled of Magnus. 

The other great thing about showering at Magnus’ was the fact that at any moment, the man himself could slip in next to him, like he did now, wrapping his arms around Alec’s waist from behind. Alec smiled, and glanced over his shoulder.

“I’m trying to wash my hair,” he complained playfully.

Magnus just swept his hand up and banished the bubbles from Alec’s hair before burying his face in Alec’s hairline behind his ear. “You smell delicious.”

“I smell like you,” Alec countered, bringing Magnus’ hand up to kiss his knuckles. “Who was on the phone?” 

“Clary,” Magnus answered, reaching past Alec for the same shampoo. “She wanted a recommendation for a romantic restaurant within ten blocks of the Hunter’s Moon.”

Alec hummed. “Cute.” 

“Very,” Magnus agreed, “but not as cute as you.” 

Alec turned to face him, his eyes checking him over. “Your magic’s back to normal?” 

“Yes, and since I’m no longer the High Warlock, anything that doesn’t affect me is no longer my problem.” Magnus had a sort of absent smile on his face, which made Alec suspicious, but he figured standing toe to toe in the shower wasn’t the best place to grill his boyfriend. Instead, he stepped close for a cuddle, kissing over Magnus’ cheek and breathing him in. Magnus relaxed in his hold, and Alec closed his eyes, resting his cheek on Magnus’ shoulder. “I love you,” Magnus said softly. 

“I love you too.” Alec returned, pulling away reluctantly as Magnus went to wash himself. “Hey, where do you get that shampoo from?”

“I brew it,” Magnus told him, rinsing his hair under the water. “A lovely concoction of Indian sandalwood I’ve been perfecting since the mid 18th Century.” 

“It’s my favourite smell,” Alec admitted, the sincerity in his eyes making Magnus smile. “Mostly because it reminds me of you.”

Magnus was too busy revelling in the warmth in his chest to respond, shaking his head the tiniest amount as he lathered up his body. Alec must have read it in his body language because he chuckled and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his shoulders. “Wait, where are you going?” Magnus asked, poking his head around the edge of the walk-in shower.

“I’ve left you speechless, figured I’d leave you wanting more,” Alec said smugly, patting his chest dry.

Magnus huffed, but ducked back inside the shower to continue washing himself. “You’re getting cocky, I must try harder not to inflate your ego.” At the sound of Alec’s laugh Magnus smiled. 

“You know what I don’t get?” 

“What?” Magnus asked.

“If I were you and had magic, I would definitely not bother showering every morning. I’d just magick myself clean.” Alec said, “it just seems like a waste of time.”

Magnus hummed. “Maybe, but I like the feeling of being in the shower. The hot water rushing over my skin, taking some time to clean my body, revelling in the smells.”

“Guess it’s like how you prefer fingering me open rather than just using magic to prepare me.” Alec speculated, checking in the mirror to see whether or not he needed to shave.

“Yes…” Magnus agreed, smirking a little. “Exactly like that.”

He didn’t hear the doorbell over the soft rush of water, but Alec did. 

“You expecting anybody?” Alec asked, quickly drying himself and pulling a pair of Magnus’ boxers up his legs. 

“What?” Magnus replied, shutting off the shower. By the time he’d dried off enough to put his robe on, Alec was already wearing a t-shirt and heading to answer the door. “Alec, it’s-”

“Oh, Mr Lightwood,” Lorenzo’s smarmy voice floated through the apartment to reach Magnus’ ears. “I hope I haven’t interrupted your morning.” 

“What are you doing here, Lorenzo?” Magnus demanded, magicking make-up and silk sleep pants on as he left the bedroom. 

Lorenzo looked past Alec to Magnus. “I’m here on warlock business. Business that a shadowhunter has no business hearing.” 

Alec’s gaze was narrowed where it was boring into Lorenzo’s face. “Already finding that the job of High Warlock is beyond you?” 

Both Lorenzo and Magnus looked at him with looks of amazement, the former’s offended and the latter’s positively delighted. “On the contrary,” Lorenzo answered, “if you would give us some privacy, Mr Lightwood.” 

“I’ll be on the balcony.” Alec muttered, rubbing his hair dry with the towel that was still around his shoulders. Lorenzo strode into the apartment once Alec was gone, pushing the front door shut behind him. 

“I knew that you were petty,” Lorenzo growled, his voice low, “but I didn’t think you’d stoop so low as to corrupt the let lines under my home.” 

Magnus scoffed. “You saw my eyes, I was just as helpless as anybody. If someone corrupted the ley lines, then you have to-”

“Do not lie to me,” Lorenzo warned, “I recognise demonic magic when I see it, and you were the only warlock in that room who knows Asmodeus.” 

“Asmodeus? It was his magic?” Magnus’ stomach dropped. “Lorenzo, if he’s escaped Edom, we need to tell Alexander and the shadowhunters.” 

“Oh, would you spare me the fake concern? We both know that you are one of only a few warlocks that can conjure that kind of demonic magic. I don’t have proof yet, but when I do…” Lorenzo’s glare switched suddenly to a smug, conniving smirk. “Well, I hear the Spiral Labyrinth is lovely this time of year.”

He didn’t wait for Magnus’ response, sweeping out of the apartment without another word. Magnus’ mind was too busy reeling from the news that Asmodeus’ magic had been found outside Edom to worry about Lorenzo’s threat. He heard the balcony doors open behind him, and Alec wandered past him towards the kitchen.

“What did he say?” Alec asked, switching on the coffee machine. 

Magnus swallowed hard. “Apparently the magic that corrupted the ley lines under Lorenzo’s home was demonic, most likely Asmodeus’.” 

“So he wants your help?” 

“No…” Magnus rubbed his forehead as he came into the kitchen. “He thinks I’m behind it.”

Alec snorted. “Yeah, because you and the King of Hell are best buddies.” When he didn’t hear Magnus laugh, he turned away from making coffee to look at his best boyfriend. “Am I missing something here?” 

Magnus had hoped that this would never come up. He never wanted to lie to Alec, but he’d been quietly praying that the subject of his demonic father would simply fail to come up in conversation. There was no way of squirming out of it now, not without lying, and Magnus wouldn’t lie to Alec, not about this. “Asmodeus is my… Father.” He confessed, his eyes fixed on Alec’s collarbone.

For a moment, Alec was stunned. He’d known that Magnus was one of the most powerful warlocks on the continent, and he supposed that did mean that he must have a powerful demon for a father, but he’d never given much thought to it before. “You never said.”

“It’s not something I care to remember if I can help it,” Magnus admitted quietly. “I didn’t want you to think less of me.” 

“Think less of you?” Alec repeated, his eyebrows rising. “Magnus, we can’t help who our parents are. I know you, and I know that you would never work with a Greater Demon, much less free one.” 

“Okay,” Magnus nodded, wishing that Alec would hug him, but he was in Soldier Mode now, evidenced by the ‘at ease’ stance he’d fallen into. 

“If Asmodeus is in New York, we need to stop him. Any weaknesses?”

Magnus shook his head. “Asmodeus is basically all-powerful. When I was young, I bound him to Edom. It would take very strong magic to break those binds.” 

Alec sighed. It seemed that the peaceful period at the Institute was over. “Alright.”

“He can be trapped,” Magnus assured him, “I did it before, I can do it again, but we’d need to catch him off-guard.” 

“How do we find him? Can you sense his presence?” 

“No, if I’d sensed his presence in this realm I’d have said straight-away. If I can get to the ley lines where they were corrupted by his power, I can use them to track him.” Magnus wrung his hands together. “But I doubt Lorenzo will allow me back into his mansion, and he’ll know if we portal in.” 

Alec shrugged one shoulder. “We don’t always have to use magic. Like showering. Sometimes it’s more fun to do things without magic.” 

“Fun?” Magnus narrowed his eyes. “What are you plotting in that pretty head of yours?” 

Alec grinned, his eyes glittering in a way that had Magnus feeling both nervous and endeared.

~~~~~~~~~~

Before Alec could put his plan into motion, however, there was a whole day of work ahead of him. It wasn’t like he could just ask Raj to cover his duties today, either, because it was the long-awaited day of arrival for the new recruits. Alec, Aline and Izzy stood ready to greet them just outside the Institute after lunch. Sure enough, a portal opened one minute before 1, and ten shadowhunters between the ages of seventeen and thirty stepped out. 

First in line was Helen Blackthorn, and Alec glanced at Aline to see her struggling to contain her excitement, the light in her eyes matching Helen’s. Helen cleared her throat and offered her hand to Alec, as was custom, and Alec took it. 

“Do you, Helen Blackthorn, accept your position in the New York Institute, and vow to serve it to the best of your ability?” Alec asked, their hands still joined.

“Yes, Sir,” Helen nodded, and Alec smiled.

“Welcome to New York, Helen.” 

Aline bounced a little next to Alec, and he huffed out a laugh. “Permission to hug my girlfriend?” 

“Granted,” Alec replied, smiling a little as the two women embraced. 

The next recruit was probably the youngest. Izzy put their file into Alec’s hand, and Alec hummed to see that this was the trans girl he’d heard about from Aline before. He gave her a warm smile. 

“Is this the right name for you?” Alec asked, turning the file so she could see it. The last thing he wanted to do was misgender her in their first encounter.

“Yes, Sir,” she answered, her cheeks blazing red. Alec held out his hand for a shake, and she took it, her nails painted pink and bitten down to nubs.

“Do you, Hope Clearwater, accept your internship in the New York Institute, and vow to complete it to the best of our ability?” 

Hope nodded eagerly. “Yes, Sir, I do.” 

“Welcome to New York, Hope.” Alec said, letting out a soft ‘oof’ when Hope rushed forwards to hug him. He was taken aback, but patted her shoulder gently. “If you have any problems with anybody, come tell me, okay?” 

“Yes, Sir.” She sniffed, pulling back from him and hurrying to stand next to Helen behind Alec, Izzy and Aline. 

“Bless her,” Izzy said softly as she handed Alec the next file. 

Alec knew what a big deal it was to have a superior officer be supportive of you, so he didn’t blame Hope for getting a little emotional. Hell, the first time his Dad had called him Alec in front of Institute staff he’d had to lock himself in the bathroom to sob for a couple of minutes. He glanced down at the file, and greeted the next recruit with a smile. 

“Do you, Cole Silverton, accept your internship at the New York Institute, and vow to complete it to the best of your ability?”

~~~~~~~~~~

It was torture for Aline, standing there waiting for Alec to welcome the other nine recruits, hyper aware of Helen standing behind her watching her. They’d both waited so long to be assigned to the same place. It almost didn’t feel real, that they were going to live together in the same building, that they were going to be able to see each other whenever they wanted. And now to wait half an hour when Helen was right there felt like an eternity to Aline.

Finally, Alec finished his introductions and turned to address the new recruits. 

“There are some differences between this Institute and your previous ones that must be addressed,” he told them. “Downworlders are our friends and allies in New York. We work with them, not against them. Any anti-downworlder bigotry gets left at the door.” His face was deadly serious, and all the recruits nodded along with him. “Secondly, every member of my senior staff is a part of the LGBT community. You will refer to people with the correct pronouns and names, and you will respect them no matter who they are romantically involved with. I’m sure you’ve all heard whispers about me in Alicante, that I’m transgender and dating the High-” Alec stopped himself, “excuse me, the ex-High Warlock of Brooklyn, Magnus Bane. I am proud of who I am and who I love, and each and every one of you can share in that feeling for yourselves at this Institute. But be warned: anyone who acts in a bigoted manner, against queer folks or downworlders, will find that their time in New York is cut short. Understood?”

“Yes, Sir!” All the recruits insisted, and Alec relaxed a little, flexing his neck. 

“Glad to hear it. Make yourselves at home for the rest of the day, interns, your first briefing will be tomorrow morning at 0900 hours. Staff, yours will be at 0930 hours. Dismissed.” 

Aline whistled lowly as all the recruits except Helen made their way into the Institute. “Damn. Didn’t expect you to come out like that.” 

Alec shrugged. “It’s not exactly a secret that I’m trans anymore, not since the Soul Sword. It’s fine,” he smiled slightly. “I don’t mind people knowing anymore.”

“It gave me goosebumps,” Helen told him, “and I bet it meant a lot to Hope, too.” 

“What are you still doing here?” Alec teased, wanting to deflect away from the sentimentality. He was a little embarrassed, truth be told. “Go and take your girlfriend out to lunch.”

“I’m on duty until 2100 hours,” Aline reminded him, and Alec scoffed.

“Not anymore you’re not. Go.”

“Yes, Sir!” Helen teased, taking Aline’s hand. “Come on then, baby. Show me the city.” 

Aline gave Alec her iPad, and squeezed her girlfriend’s hand. “Tourist traps or the real New York?” 

“Please don’t take me to the mundane-infested places,” Helen groaned, which had Aline giggling.

“I’ve only been here a couple of months,” Aline pointed out.

“Oh, please,” Helen scoffed, “I know you. You had this place all figured out in your first week.” 

Aline smirked. “Okay, there is this one place I wanna take you. But it might be a little early yet.” 

“We’ve got all the time in the world.”

“Yeah, we do,” Aline agreed, joy brimming inside of her. The two women locked eyes as they walked towards the subway, matching grins on their faces. 

~~~~~~~~~~

“This should not be this hard!” Simon slapped his hand down on the table, a grimace on his face. 

“Vampires aren’t meant to eat food,” Bat supplied unhelpfully.

“He’s not wrong,” Maia pointed out when Simon glared at the young werewolf. “Why are you so bothered, anyway? No-one here cares that you don’t actually eat.” 

Simon shifted a little in his seat. “I’m trying to act normally. Less vampire-ish.”

 

“Why?” Bat asked.

“Because there are some things that maybe I want to do and in order to do them I need to tone down the bloodthirst.” Simon answered, his voice low. 

Maia looked up from her textbook and narrowed her eyes at him. “Is this about that roadtrip you’re going on with Raj?” 

“Ahhhh, that makes sense,” Bat agreed, pointing at Simon. “You don’t want him to think of you as a downworlder.” 

“Raj is cool with downworlders, though. His sister Myra is a werewolf over in LA.” Maia said, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

“I know,” Simon shrugged, “but it’s gonna look a little weird if we go out to eat in Boston and I’m just watching him chow down on a burger.” 

Maia hummed. “Didn’t he also tell you that he wasn’t interested?” 

“He didn’t say he wasn’t interested, he said he’s not ready for a relationship. But that doesn’t stop me from being his friend for now and hoping that a few months down the line he changes his mind.”

“That sounds like something a fuckboy would say,” Bat observed, and Maia snorted. 

“Hey!”

“Again, he’s not wrong.” Maia told him.

“I’m not pressuring him or anything, I just… I want him to like me. That’s all.” Simon insisted. “I’m gonna wait for him to make the first move. I swear.”

Maia and Bat exchanged a look that made Simon nervous. 

“We believe you,” Bat shrugged.

“Just be honest with him,” Maia stressed, “you’ve both been through hell in the past few months, the last thing you need is some weird back and forth game.”

“For sure,” Simon nodded, “I’m just trying to impress him, that’s all.” 

“Alright, then what you need to do is cover the taste of human food with a little blood,” Maia told him, “put some in a bottle and squeeze it on like ketchup. That should help with the nausea.” 

Simon’s eyes lit up. “That’s genius! You’re a genius!”

Maia smiled lightly. “I know.”

Bat bounced a little in his seat when he noticed the Jade Wolf waiter bringing out his food. He was still getting used to the werewolf appetite, and he hadn’t eaten in three hours. He was starving. “Did you already eat?” Bat asked Maia, hoping that she wasn’t expecting to share his fried rice. 

“No, but I’m going out to dinner with Izzy and Clary in a couple of hours, so I’m saving myself for that.” 

“Oh? Where are you going?” Simon asked.

Maia shrugged, a shy little smile on her face. “I don’t know, it’s a surprise. They said they wanted to do something nice for me. They’re so sweet.” 

“That’s cute.” Bat said, digging into his food. “Meanwhile, I’m marrying this special fried rice.”

Simon and Maia laughed. 

“I’d rather be in love with food than have a crush on a guy who’s emotionally unavailable.” Simon pointed out. 

“Yeah, honestly I don’t miss my single days.” Maia said, looking down at her textbook. “It’s so hard to meet people in the downworld.” 

“Especially when you’ve only been a wolf for a couple of months,” Bat agreed, “it’s like everyone knows everyone else except me. It sucks.” 

“You should go hang out at Pandemonium. It’s not quite as fun now that Magnus isn’t running it anymore, but it’s still basically all downworlders. And you’re cute enough that you’ll definitely get hit on.” Maia pointed out.

Bat’s eyes widened. “I can’t go to a nightclub by myself, I’ll get roofied!” 

Maia fixed him with a searching look, waiting for the penny to drop. It didn’t seem to be clicking, so she snorted out a laugh. “Babe, you can’t get roofied now, you’re a werewolf.”

“I don’t know, someone could slip wolfsbane into his drink.” Simon reminded her. 

“You have to ingest a lot of wolfsbane to actually get sick. You’ll be fine. Besides, Simon can go with you.” 

“I can?!”

“Oh, come on,” Maia huffed, “you know you need to get laid too. You gotta get over Raj.” 

“It’s cute that you think that I can have one night stands without catching feelings.” Simon mused, and Maia and Bat laughed. 

“Well, gentlemen,” Maia announced, getting up from her seat and closing her textbook, “it’s time for me to go and get ready for a romantic evening with my two super hot girlfriends.”

“Ugh, shut up,” Bat groaned, which had Maia giggling. “I hate you.”

Maia blew him a kiss, and made her way out of the Jade Wolf. She couldn’t wait to see what Izzy and Clary had planned for them all tonight, but at the same time she didn’t want to get her hopes up too high. They were both really busy, so it might be hard to pull something together with less than a day’s notice. Still, Maia was just happy to feel looked after. She was always the one doing the chasing, the wooing. It felt so good to be the one getting spoiled.

“Maia!”

Maia turned around to see Russell headed towards her, having followed her out of the restaurant. 

“What?”

“Aren’t you gonna take your bloodsucker friend with you?” He demanded, “this is a wolf den.” 

Maia quirked her eyebrow. “Simon’ll leave when he’s done hanging out with Bat.” 

“He doesn’t belong here,” Russell insisted. 

“Funny how you have a problem with Simon when Clary and Izzy hang out here with me all the time.” 

“That’s different. Shadowhunters don’t stink up the place.” 

“Shadowhunters have a hundred times more blood on their hands than vampires. Maybe re-evaluate your priorities.” Maia scoffed, going to turn away, but Russell took hold of her arm.

“Vampires and werewolves don’t mix. We’re not meant to be friends, it’s unnatural.” He said lowly, “we’re natural enemies.”

“Who said?” Maia demanded. 

“It’s always been that way.” 

Maia rolled her eyes. “So you have absolutely no real reason to dislike Simon?”

“Just keep him out of the Jade Wolf.” Russell implored her.

“Simon can come and go as he pleases, he’s Luke’s son. And in case you forgot, Luke beat your ass and asserted himself as Alpha. So that means you’re going to have to just deal with your shit. Or I’ll have to beat your ass too.” Maia told him, her eyes flashing green. “Now let go of my arm.”

Russell’s face was tight, and clearly not happy, but he let Maia go. 

“That’s what I thought.” 

“This is not the end of this, Maia.” Russell warned her as she walked away, and Maia mentally added ‘beat Russell’s ass’ to her ever-growing to-do list.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was a little strange to Luke, being able to just walk in and out of the Institute freely, even after all these months of Alec’s downworlder friendly policies. It reminded him of his youth, running around after Valentine and Jocelyn, and brought back a lot of memories. When Clary came around the corner all dressed up in auburn, Luke stopped dead, shocked for a moment at how much she looked like her mother. When she smiled at him, though, he snapped out of it. She had a different smile to Jocelyn; she was cheekier, more daring. More like Valentine had been all those years ago.

“Luke?” Clary asked after a moment of neither of them saying anything. “What’s up?” 

“Ah, nothing,” Luke told her, “are you going out? You look beautiful.” 

Clary hummed, swishing her skirt a little. “Thanks. Me and Izzy are taking Maia out. What are you doing here?” 

“Just dropping off the security tapes that Alec wanted, hopefully we’ll be able to find something-”

“Oh, Alec’s not here. He left like a half hour ago.”

“That’s alright,” Luke shrugged, “I can give it to Aline.”

“She’s out too,” Clary shrugged, “but if you really need someone to help I can call Izzy and Maia-”

“No, no, don’t do that. I’ll find somebody. Is Raj here?” 

“Oh yeah, he’s in his office.” Clary sighed in relief. 

Luke nodded. “Great. Have a good night, kiddo, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” 

“That’s terrible advice considering how shy you are around women,” Clary teased, hitching her purse higher up her shoulder.

Luke laughed. She wasn’t wrong, after all. “Just don’t get yourself into any trouble.” 

“Got it,” Clary confirmed, walking backwards away from him. “Have fun with Raj!” 

Luke waved at her as she turned away. “Little punk,” he chuckled to himself.

~~~~~~~~~~

“So we’re clear on the plan?” Alec checked as he and Magnus approached Lorenzo’s drive. 

“It’s not exactly complicated, angel,” Magnus huffed out a laugh.

Alec shrugged one shoulder, smiling slightly. “I like this. The two of us plotting together, all mission impossible.” 

“I should never have let Simon introduce you to Tom Cruise movies, I knew it would give you ideas,” Magnus chuckled. “Good luck. Remember, Lorenzo will talk about himself forever, just get him on the subject and he’ll do all the work for you.” 

“Got it,” Alec confirmed. 

After a quick kiss, the two parted. Alec headed to the front door, and Magnus went to hide in the bushes near the patio doors that Alec would hopefully be opening for him in a few minutes. He’d already taken an elixir to hide his magical aura, so Lorenzo wouldn’t sense him inside the house. Now all he had to do was wait. 

Magnus had never seen Alec in a situation where he had to be duplicitous, and maybe he should have worried a little at how easily Alec had Lorenzo leading him into the ballroom. He watched through the window as Lorenzo and Alec talked, Alec looking totally at ease. When Lorenzo turned away to mix them some drinks, Alec headed towards the windows, easily flipping the latch across. Magnus waited a moment, smiling as he watched Alec casually walk around Lorenzo, his eyes on the ceiling like he cared about the architecture. With Lorenzo’s back firmly towards him, Magnus took his chance, and let himself in through the door, quickly darting behind the couch and pushing the patio door closed with his magic.

“I had no idea you were so cultured, Mr Lightwood,” Lorenzo sounded impressed. “It’s not like shadowhunters to take an interest in architecture.” 

“Yes, well, I’m sure you’ll have heard, I’m not your average shadowhunter,” Alec replied, making sure his eyes didn’t dart to where Magnus was peering over the back of the couch.

Lorenzo hummed. “Very impressive.” 

“I hear that you have a very special…” Alec faltered in the middle of the sentence, and Magnus mouthed ‘Faberge egg’ at him, but Alec had always been terrible at lip reading. “Antique pot? Upstairs?” 

Magnus facepalmed. 

“An interest in architecture AND ceramics? Mr Lightwood,” Lorenzo was so delighted he was breathless, “you and I are going to get along famously!” He touched Alec’s arm, and Magnus rolled his eyes. “Come! I must show you my collection!”

“Right, yes, yes, I’d love to see it!” Alec grimaced at Magnus when Lorenzo started to lead him up the stairs, and Magnus mouthed ‘ANTIQUE POT?!’ with an exasperated look. Alec glared half-heartedly, jerking his head to the side, towards the place where the ley lines had been corrupted, and scurried after Lorenzo, who had launched into a monologue about his precious Egg.

Once he was sure that Lorenzo and Alec were upstairs and not coming back down again anytime soon, Magnus hurried out from behind the couch and got to work. Straight away, as his magic reached out to the ley lines, he could tell that there was a strong demonic force corrupting them. He was cautious about connecting his magic to the ley line, worried that it would veer out of control, so he only fed it a little at first. He pulled back on the thread once it had a little of the ley line’s power, tugging the energy back to himself. As he held it in his hand, he was sure. 

This was not Asmodeus’ magic. 

If anything, it was stronger. 

Part of Magnus was relieved; it meant that his father was still locked in Edom. But a bigger part of him, a more rational part, was terrified. It wasn’t Asmodeus, and it wasn’t Azazel, but it was dark, and powerful, and unmistakably from Edom.

While his mind was racing, going through all the Greater Demons he knew of that lived in Edom, his magic connected more deeply to the ley lines. Magnus didn’t notice until it was too late, and his magic exploded, sending him flying backwards until he crumpled against the wall. He’d hit the wall so hard he’d dented the plaster, and he groaned as he got to his feet and put pressure on his throbbing ankle, quickly repairing the damage with his magic as he limped to the patio doors, diving into the bushes just in time for Lorenzo to come running down the stairs, Alec in tow. Arching to check that he’d closed the door behind him, Magnus breathed out a sigh of relief, fixing his ankle with a snap of his magic. 

It didn’t take long for Alec to leave the mansion after that, and when he came round the corner to see Magnus waiting for him he shook his head. 

“What the hell was going on in there?” He demanded, “The whole place damn near shook!”

“The magic corrupting the ley lines was stronger than I feared. Stronger than Asmodeus.” Magnus told him.

“But it’s not Asmodeus?” 

“No, but… Alec. If anything, it’s worse than Asmodeus.” Magnus said grimly. 

Alec swallowed hard. “Worse than the Prince of Hell? Worse than the King of Lust?” 

“I see you did your research,” Magnus sighed, tugging Alec away from Lorenzo’s mansion so he could create a portal. 

“I read Asmodeus’ file. The shadowhunters have never encountered him, but the lore is-”

“I trapped him in Edom three centuries ago,” Magnus told him, his eyes on his magic as it danced in the air to create a portal. “You’re welcome.”

“But if this isn’t Asmodeus,” Alec stressed, stepping through the portal backwards and finding himself in Magnus’ loft, “who is it?” 

Magnus shook his head. “No Greater Demon I’ve ever encountered, that’s for damn sure.” 

“A Greater Demon loose is the last thing we need,” Alec put his hands on his hips. “Is there any way you can track the demonic energy, figure out where the asshole is hiding?” 

“In theory, yes, but the Greater Demons are clever, almost god-like beings. They’re as powerful as angels, Alec, they’ll know how to shield their power. It most likely won’t be as easy as following the energy signature.” Magnus explained. “We’ll have to think outside the box.”

“I may have to consult Idris,” Alec said reluctantly, and Magnus nodded.

“We’re going to need all the help we can get.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Ta da!” Clary threw her arms out to emphasise the fancy restaurant behind her as Izzy took her hands off Maia’s eyes. “What do you think?”

Maia was more interested in taking in the pride and happiness in her girlfriends’ faces than the restaurant, but she nodded in approval. “Very nice. I’m glad I wore a dress.” 

“We wanted to spoil you, and where better than the top rated restaurant-”

“That isn’t like two hundred dollars for a steak,” Clary supplied.

“In the city.” Izzy finished, looping her arm through Maia’s. “We want to spoil you.”

“I feel spoiled,” Maia admitted, happiness bubbling up inside her when Clary rushed to get the door for her and Izzy. Maia had gotten used to dating people who were either chasers, acted like her transness was some kind of embarrassment or made her do all the wooing, but Clary and Izzy were different. They didn’t treat her any differently, and acted like they were lucky to have her. It was a feeling she was still getting used to, and she couldn’t hold back a charmed little giggle as she walked past Clary into the restaurant. She felt like a princess.

“Do you have a reservation?” The hostess asked the three of them as they gathered around the podium. 

Clary and Izzy looked at each other with panicked expressions, and Maia laughed. 

“I totally forgot about reservations.” Clary whispered.

“If you don’t have a reservation, you can sit at one of our communal tables with another couple.” The hostess offered, and the three women looked at each other.

“We could try somewhere else?” Izzy suggested.

Maia squeezed her hand. “No, it’s fine.” She turned her face to talk to the hostess, “a communal table would be great, thank you.” 

“What if we get sat next to some middle-class homophobes?” Izzy muttered as the hostess led them through the restaurant. 

As the three of them looked at the communal table, they found they all recognised the two women already sitting there holding hands across the table. Helen was facing them, and looked shocked, and when Aline turned to see what she was looking at, her jaw dropped too. The hostess seemed to realise that something was going on, because she slowly lowered the menus she’d been about to place on the table.

“Is something wrong?” She asked.

“Of course not!” Aline insisted, smiling warmly at the newcomers. “Come on, this will be fun.” 

“Sorry for interrupting your first date in New York,” Clary said as she took a seat next to Helen.

“No, no, Aline’s right,” Helen shrugged, “this will be fun.”

She didn’t quite meet Maia’s eyes as Maia sat down, but thankfully no-one noticed.

~~~~~~~~~~

“It’s weird,” Raj mused, resting his chin on his hands, “I always forget like, just how many mundanes there are.”

“I know what you mean.” Luke chuckled, his eyes still glued to the screen. He and Raj had been watching the security tapes from the hospital for a while, and they had yet to spot the mysterious woman that Catarina had described. There was a lot of foot traffic in the nursery viewing room, after all. “Seems they’re all having babies, huh?” 

“Mmmm. Never got the hype with babies. They kinda freak me out.” 

Luke smiled. “I had the exact same attitude before Clary was born. And admittedly I wasn’t there to see her at the weird little alien phase, but she was the cutest little kid, always making mischief.” 

“You didn’t feel that way about Jonathan?” Raj asked tentatively.

“He struggled as a little baby. Shadowhunter babies aren’t meant to have demon blood in them, so when he was a kid he was always sick, always miserable. He was a wretched little thing. Honestly…” Luke sighed, “I was surprised that he survived to adulthood.” 

“Do you think he was evil?” 

“No. Not in the way that the Clave would have you believe. Demon blood doesn’t make a person evil. But the poor kid was groomed by Valentine his whole life, taught to hate and hurt people. Nobody could’ve withstood what he went through and been a good person. He didn’t even know what a good person was. I…” Luke leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. “I feel for him, but honestly? There’s nothing anyone could’ve done to save him from that darkness Valentine planted in him.”

Raj swallowed hard. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what happened, and… I can’t figure out if it was real. I’ll never know if he was just using me or whether, somewhere in there, he really did feel something.” 

“Raj,” Luke put his hand on the other man’s shoulder. “Don’t torment yourself wondering, because like you said, you’ll never know. You have to let it go, and move on. Jonathan is dead, and he’s never coming back. I know that it’s hard, but you’re young, you can’t spend the rest of your life wondering.”

“I know. I know.” Raj scratched his eyebrow. “I just wish I knew how to get over it.”

“Are you dating?” 

Raj snorted. “I’m the Head of Intelligence and I have hella emotional baggage. What do you think?” 

“I think it’s important that you make time for that. Alec, Izzy and Aline all manage to find time for significant others, there’s no reason you can’t as well.” Luke pointed out.

“I know. There is this one guy, a mundane. I met him at the hospital. We’ve been…” Raj shrugged, “having sleepovers. But I don’t think he’s, like, boyfriend material.” 

“Dating mundanes can be tricky,” Luke agreed. 

Raj sighed. “I don’t know, it’s just… I don’t feel like I’m ready to let a person in again.” 

“You will, when you meet the right person.” Luke assured him, “it’s just a matter of being open to it when it happens.” 

“True,” Raj admitted. He focussed back on the monitor, his eyebrows rising as he spotted Tim Dempsey talking to someone towards the corner of the screen. “Wait, look!” 

He knew that it was the woman that Catarina had mentioned instantly. She was wearing what looked like a gothic cosplay dress, in black or navy or deep purple, it was hard to tell with the shitty quality of the security camera. Tim offered him her arm and escorted her out of the nursery. Raj grabbed a pen and noted down the timestamp. 

“Let’s see if we can spot them in the lobby, have you got the disc for it?” Raj asked as Luke flipped through the discs that hospital security had given him.

~~~~~~~~~~

“So I have a question that might be a little… Probing,” Aline admitted, her eyes on Maia. 

Maia shrugged one shoulder, and sipped her cocktail. “No, I haven’t had ‘the surgery’. It’s very expensive, and-”

“Wait…” Aline’s face had gone red. “That’s… That’s not what I was gonna ask at all, I’m sorry.” 

“Oh.” Maia bit her lip, putting her glass down. Izzy put her hand on Maia’s knee, squeezing lightly. “Sorry, I just get that so often-”

“No, no, you don’t have to apologise, I should have clarified. It’s about the werewolf thing.” Aline explained, and Maia perked up a little.

“Oh! Then ask away!” She encouraged, and Aline relaxed. 

“What happens when you wolf out? Like, to your clothes?” Aline asked, resting her chin on her hand and her elbow on the table.

Maia laughed.

“She’s always naked when she turns back,” Clary supplied.

“Yeah, any clothes I’m wearing get ripped to shreds,” Maia confirmed, “which sucks. I have to strip naked in the middle of the city and then turn. In the winter, especially…”

“Don’t the mundanes notice?” Izzy asked, raising her eyebrow.

“I try and make sure that I’m in an alley or whatever. But if not, mundanes tend to kinda shrug off stuff they don’t understand, so usually you’re good.”

“Have you ever tried, like… Spanx?” Aline asked.

“Are you kidding? Can you imagine a wolf in spanx? No-one would take me seriously!” Maia laughed, and the other women joined in with her at the mental image of a huge, grey wolf wearing tights. “Like it sucks, I guess, but I’d rather be a werewolf than a shadowhunter. I could never remember all those runes.” 

“Imagine having to remember both shadowhunter and seelie runes,” Helen snorted, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I get them mixed up all the time.” 

“I mean, I don’t know about other shadowhunters but I just use, like… Six of my favourites.” Izzy shrugged, “and then I ask Alec if there’s one I can’t remember.” 

“Yeah, I don’t use that many,” Aline added, “I brush up on them before a big fight, though.”

“Still, all those tattoos all over you, I don’t know if I’d like that,” Maia hummed, leaning back in her chair.

“Says that one with a butterfly tattooed on her ass,” Helen snorted, taking a sip of her water and freezing when she realised what she’d just let slip. All eyes were on her, all eyebrows raised, and Helen swallowed her mouthful of water audibly.

“How…? How did you know about that?” Clary asked, looking between Helen and Maia, who looked just as sheepish. 

“You’ve never seen Maia turn…” Aline had a tiny smirk on her face, her eyes narrowing. 

“It was a long time ago,” Maia said hurriedly, “before I met either of you,” she nodded to Clary and Izzy.

Helen nodded. “I was invited to a seelie party at Pandemonium, and Maia was there.” She explained.

“We only slept together that one time,” Maia was playing with her napkin nervously. “It was right before I came out.” 

“How come you never mentioned that you’d slept together?” Aline asked, “you didn’t think I’d be mad, did you?” 

“No, of course not!” Maia insisted, “it’s just that, it was kinda weird because it was when I was still identifying as a bisexual man, so… Yeah.”

“It just didn’t feel right talking about it,” Helen agreed, “I didn’t want to remind Maia of that time since it might be a little unsettling to remember that I knew her before she came out.”

“It is a little weird,” Maia said quietly.

“I can see that,” Izzy squeezed Maia’s knee gently. “Alec gets super cagey about people we knew as kids interacting with him, it’s understandable.”

“Yeah,” Clary piped up, “besides, it’s none of our business who you slept with before you met us.” 

“Exactly,” Aline stressed, “I mean damn, if we’re going to start judging each others’ history, I have some truly embarrassing things on my list. Like dating Izzy’s brother for like six months.” 

“You dated Alec?” Clary’s jaw dropped. 

Aline giggled. “Not really dated. We just pretended we were dating. Alec had only been on T for, like, a year, and I was realising that I was a lesbian, and we were both freaking out that our parents were trying to set us up. He was a nice guy, and we became good friends except obviously there was absolutely no attraction there.”

“Didn’t you come out to him first?” Izzy asked, and Aline nodded, smiling at the memory.

“Yep. Alec was the first person who I told. And we came up with the brilliant idea of pretending to date so that our parents would leave us alone.” 

“I can’t believe anyone ever believed that you were straight,” Helen teased, and Aline shrugged as everyone laughed.

“What can I say, I’m a better actress than people give me credit for.” 

~~~~~~~~~~

Over the next couple of hours, Raj and Luke managed to piece together a trail of CCTV footage that followed Tim Dempsey and the strange woman. He left her in the hospital parking lot before going back inside, but she hung around, sitting on a bench nearby, waiting for him to finish his shift. 

“Look, she’s checking her make-up,” Raj pointed out, his eyebrows furrowing. “A possessed mundane wouldn’t do that.”

 

“So… She’s a demon?” Luke guessed, and Raj nodded slowly.

“Not just any demon. The only demons that can take human form are shapeshifter demons and greater demons. But if this demon possesses Tim Dempsey herself…”

“Then she must be a greater demon,” Luke finished.

Raj stared at the screen as he fast-forwarded through the hours. The demon didn’t move except to cross her legs the other way or to check her nails. Eventually, she stood, and when Raj paused it he noticed that it was because Tim Dempsey had come out of the hospital. “Okay, we need to pull traffic cam footage, see if she really did possess him herself or whether she just kidnapped him and brought him to a secondary location.” 

“It’ll be easier if we go to the precinct,” Luke pointed out, “we’ll just say you’re FBI.”

“Yeah, let’s go, I’ll update Alec on the way,” Raj agreed, grabbing his jacket.

~~~~~~~~~~

Despite the fact that she’d been a nurse now for over a hundred years, Catarina had never been able to stand by and watch a mundane suffer. As often as she could, she used her magic to ease their pain. She barely thought twice about it, these days. It wasn’t abnormal for nurses to close the curtains around a patient’s bed, so Catarina took advantage and used the privacy to work her magic on the patients who were unconscious or delirious. No harm done, they wouldn’t remember her using her magic, anyway.

She’d been so busy that she’d almost forgotten about Lorenzo’s party. She closed the curtains around Mr Smith’s bed and checked that he was unconscious before reaching out to him with her magic, numbing the pain in his abdomen. As the blue sparks soothed him, though, Catarina realised that the power she was pulling from the hospital’s ley line didn’t feel right. Her eyes widened in horror as she realised that the magic was being attracted to the ley line, turning pink and violent. Cat found she couldn’t stop it, and Mr Smith groaned awake, jolting in the bed. 

“Oh God, oh God,” Catarina whispered, trying with a soft groan to rein in her magic, but it was being forced from her and into Mr Smith, the lights in the hospital beginning to blink. With an almighty effort, she cut the magic off, and the hospital went dark for a long, sickening moment before the generator kicked in and the emergency lights came on. 

She checked that Mr Smith was stable before darting out between the curtains to call Magnus.

~~~~~~~~~~

Magnus brought Catarina a cup of water, handing it to her before giving her shoulder a squeeze. Luke was upstairs talking to the managing director of the hospital, and Alec and Raj stood close by, giving the two warlocks a little space. 

“Did I hurt anyone?” Catarina asked Magnus, looking up at him miserably.

“It wasn’t your fault-”

“Magnus, did anyone die? Tell me,” she ordered, her voice wobbling. 

Magnus sighed quietly. “A woman on life support,” he admitted and Cat put her hand over her mouth. “She went painlessly, it was her time.”

“No it wasn’t,” Cat whispered, “if I hadn’t-”

“It wasn’t you, it was the demon who’s corrupting the ley lines. It wasn’t your fault, Catarina.” 

“How are we gonna fix this?” She asked him.

Magnus hesitated. “We should report it to Lorenzo, it’s his job now.”

“I think we all know that Lorenzo isn’t gonna do shit,” Raj piped up, “I reached out to him to ask what his plans were on the way here and he couldn’t give me an answer.” 

“This isn’t just a warlock problem anymore,” Alec agreed, “mundanes have been hurt. Not that I blame you, Catarina,” he added hastily.

“No-one does,” Magnus assured her, squeezing her shoulder gently. 

“Still, something has to be done, we can’t risk using the ley lines until this demon is dealt with.” Catarina pointed out. 

“Is there a way of fixing the ley lines without taking down the demon? Because that’s going to take time.” Alec asked.

“In theory,” Magnus said reluctantly, “if we could flood the ley lines with pure angelic energy, that would banish the demonic corruption and, if we’re lucky, overload the greater demon that’s tapping the power of the ley lines.” 

“Would the angelic core of the Institute work?” 

“There are no ley lines under the Institute,” Raj reminded Alec.

“I know, but in theory…?” Alec’s eyes were on Magnus.

“In theory, yes, that would do it,” Magnus nodded, “and I can shift the ley lines temporarily to run through the Institute. But it’s risky. If the ley line I’m diverting gets touched directly, if my magic gets corrupted, the core could breach.” 

“That would wipe out everything for miles,” Raj shuddered, remembering the story of the Lisbon Institute that exploded a few hundred years ago, after the angelic core was pierced during a demon attack. “Is there any other way?” 

Magnus shook his head. “I don’t think so. Unless anyone fancies summoning an angel and hoping they’re a fan of warlocks.”

“I have a theory that you’re not going to like,” Luke announced, looking at Magnus. “It would take a very powerful demon to corrupt the ley lines like this, right? Presumably a greater demon.”

“It’s definitely a greater demon,” Magnus agreed, “Alec and I investigated them. It’s a very powerful greater demon.”

“Ah, shit,” Raj hissed, running his hand through his hair. 

“What?” Alec asked, looking between Luke and Raj.

“It’s the same demon possessing mundanes and corrupting the ley lines,” Luke told them, “it has to be. What are the odds that two greater demons pop up in New York at the same time?”

“If that’s true,” Magnus said, dread licking at his lungs, “then this demon has a clear plan. A ritual it’s attempting. We have to stop it right away.” 

“Jesus Christ,” Catarina said softly, “what are we up against here?” 

“We’ll find out,” Luke insisted, “but for now, we have to purify the ley lines.”

“Yeah, let’s get to the Institute. We’ll evacuate everyone aside from skeleton staff,” Alec decided, squaring his shoulders. “Cat, are you gonna be okay if we go?” 

“Yes, of course, go, you need to go,” she insisted.

“See you later,” Magnus said softly, squeezing her hand before following Alec, Luke and Raj.

~~~~~~~~~~

“This was fun,” Clary said as the five women left the restaurant, “I’m glad we ended up having a double date.” 

“Yeah, me too,” Helen nodded, smiling when Aline leaned into her side. “I told you to bring a jacket.” 

“Then I wouldn’t have an excuse to snuggle into you,” Aline cooed, wrapping her arms a little tighter around Helen’s waist. 

“I have a feeling that Helen doesn’t mind,” Maia teased. 

Helen huffed out a laugh, turning her head to kiss Aline’s temple. “Are you coming back to the Institute, or…?”

Clary looked at Maia. “Are we?”

“You can come back to mine if you want, the bed’s bigger.” Maia shrugged.

“How do y’all manage to share a bed?” Aline asked, “Helen kicks the hell out of me and it’s only the two of us.” 

“With much difficulty,” Izzy laughed, “I have to basically lie on top of Clary.”

“I’m petitioning Alec to let us get a huge custom bed in the Institute, but apparently that would be an,” she raised her hands to make air quotes, “inappropriate use of Clave funding.” 

Everyone laughed. 

“I don’t mind, it means I don’t have to traipse back and forth all the time,” Maia said. “It’s nice having my girls over.”

“Yeah, also, Maia’s apartment is so much-”

The phones of Helen, Aline, Izzy and Clary all went off at the same time, and they quickly dug their phones out. On each screen was a flashing angelic rune, and Clary sighed.

“God dammit.”

“We have to go,” Izzy said apologetically, “I’m sorry, we can call you a cab.” 

“Shadowhunter emergency?” Maia guessed, and the other four women nodded. “Alright, no worries. Go save the world.” 

~~~~~~~~~~

“I don’t like it,” Lydia announced, and Alec fought the urge to roll his eyes. He really needed to find a reason to transfer her out of his Institute. “If the angelic core is corrupted, it could flatten a ten-block radius.”

“What other choice do we have? I’m open to suggestions,” Alec challenged, his eyes narrow where they met hers across the table.

Lydia bristled. “If we simply evacuate the warlocks from the city until-”

The others gathered around the table erupted in uproar, yelling and arguing all at once.

“Silence!” Alec snapped, slamming his hand down on the table. “We are not going to kick innocent warlocks out of their homes. This plan will work. Magnus was strong enough to wrestle his magic under control at Lorenzo’s party, I have faith that he can do the same again.”

“Well of course you would,” Lydia muttered.

“Shut the fuck up, Lydia,” Clary spat. The two women glared at each other for a moment, and Clary turned her head away to look at Magnus. “We believe in you, Magnus.”

“Thank you, Biscuit.” Magnus smiled. He had to deliver, not just for himself but for Alec too. If he failed it would undermine Alec’s credibility in a big way. No pressure, he told himself.

“I want everyone except core staff to evacuate the Institute,” Alec ordered, rolling up his sleeves as he headed to the elevators, Magnus hot on his heels.

Lydia grumbled under her breath and stormed off, and Clary and Izzy exchanged a suspicious look.

“Alright, you heard the man,” Raj said, “everyone out! Rendezvous in Central Park, the other side of the zoo.” 

~~~~~~~~~~

“I’m surprised you kept Lydia around,” Magnus said once the elevator doors slid shut, and Alec chuckled.

“I was just thinking that I need to find a reason to transfer her.” 

“Let me guess, you thought you could show her the error of her ways,” he smiled.

Alec snorted. “Fuck no. I wanted her gone, but she wouldn’t take the hint and transfer, and I can’t transfer her out without her consent unless I have a good reason, and ‘hates downworlders’ isn’t a valid reason in the Clave’s eyes.” 

“Of course it isn’t,” Magnus sighed.

“She’ll slip up one day,” Alec assured him. The elevator doors opened to reveal the brilliant white room that had only the control panel for the angelic core in the centre. “You up to this?” 

“I’m the High War-” Magnus started, but stopped himself abruptly. “Well… I’m Magnus fucking Bane.”

 

Alec giggled, rubbing Magnus’ back. “Yes, you are. Come on, let’s do this.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Helen had just left Aline in the barracks and was on her way out to the rendezvous point when she spotted Lydia messing with something on a monitor. She stopped dead in her tracks and marched into the room, grabbing Lydia’s shoulder. She knew Lydia from their time in Alicante; Lydia had signed a petition to exclude Helen from the Council on account of her seelie heritage.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Helen demanded.

Lydia pushed her away and turned back to the monitor. “Stopping Alec from making the biggest mistake of his career.”

“You’re disobeying a direct order from the Head of the Institute. What happened to ‘the law is the law’, huh?” Helen wrapped her arms around Lydia and tossed her aside, quickly checking to see what Lydia had been trying to do. 

“It’s too late,” Lydia sounded smug, and Helen clenched her jaw, “I locked Alec out of the system.”

“Unlock it.” Helen gritted out.

Lydia scoffed and went to walk away, and Helen grabbed her by the ponytail and arm and tackled her to the ground, her knee in the middle of Lydia’s back. “Do what you like to me, I couldn’t do it even I wanted to. It’s done.” Lydia panted.

Helen reached back for her adamas-infused handcuffs and locked Lydia’s hands together. “Alec will deal with you once this is over.”

“I’m trying to save the Institute!”

“Don’t bullshit me, bitch. You’re trying to stop Alec from saving the warlocks.” Helen scoffed, taking Lydia by the shoulder and steering her out the door. “And I know Alec well enough to know that he’ll find a way.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“I’m locked out!” Alec yelled over the rush of magic in his ears, looking around wildly and spotting the hatch for the manual switch. 

“What?!” Magnus turned his head to look at him. “How?!”

“Doesn’t matter,” Alec insisted, yanking the panel open, “I’ll just have to open it like this.”

“Hurry Alexander, the corruption could hit any second!” Magnus urged as Alec wrapped his hands around the lever.

Alec pulled, but it stayed fast. “Must be rusted shut,” he muttered, ripping open the top of his shirt to get to his strength rune. He glanced over at Magnus as he passed his stele over it, but Magnus was focussed on the ley lines. With the rune’s power, Alec was able to yank the lever, and the angelic core opened, its power rushing up the ley lines and sending Magnus flying backwards. 

“Magnus!” Alec shouted.

“I’m fine, stay there!” Magnus replied, grimacing as he sat up. The ley lines settled, and Magnus let out a sigh of relief. “Okay, we’re good.”

Alec let go of the lever and let it snap back into place, closing the core. He rushed to Magnus’ side as soon as he was sure it was over. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah,” Magnus panted, leaning into Alec’s chest. “I’m okay.”

Alec looked up at the angelic core, intact and pulsing bright white in the chamber beyond them. “I did it.”

“You did it?” Magnus repeated, arching his eyebrow as he looked up at his boyfriend.

Alec chuckled, and kissed the crown of Magnus’ head. “Alright, alright, maybe I had a little help.”

Magnus snorted, too tired to argue.

~~~~~~~~~~

“One chocolate milkshake with an extra helping of whipped cream,” Alec said a few hours later, putting the tall glass on the wall of the balcony. 

“Aren’t you having a drink?” Magnus asked, his eyebrows furrowing. 

Alec shrugged. “I don’t like drinking in front of you. Besides, it’s no better for me than it is for you.” 

“I meant don’t you want a milkshake? They’re good.” Magnus offered Alec his straw.

“Well, unlike you, I can’t use magic to keep my body looking-”

“Hey,” Magnus bumped Alec with his hip, “none of this is magic.”

Alec chuckled, taking Magnus by the hips. “Of course not, how dare I insinuate differently, though I’ve never seen you lift a weight in your life.”

“Hmmm,” Magnus smirked, “and yet you watch me do my pilates routine every morning with much enthusiasm.” 

“True,” Alec allowed, his lips twitching, “I do enjoy watching you bend over.”

Magnus laughed, turning to look out over the city. “I know you do, I can feel your eyes on my ass every time.” 

“You can’t blame me.” 

“Oh, I would never.” Magnus teased. After a moment, he sighed. “Alec… I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you about my father sooner.”

Alec shrugged. “I get it. My father’s not exactly a walk in the park either, I’d have kept him away from you for as long as possible, if I’d had the choice.”

“As bigoted as Robert is, I’m not sure he’s quite on the same level as a greater demon,” Magnus pointed out.

“No, you’re right. I know. I just meant that your father could be Lucifer himself, and I’d still love you exactly the same as I always have.” Alec insisted, his hand gentle on Magnus’ shoulder. “You’re the greatest man I know. Nothing could ever change that.”

It was difficult to believe, but Alec’s eyes were practically glowing with sincerity, and Magnus’ heart hurt. Alec loved him so much. Perhaps the most anyone had ever loved him. And it was mutual. Magnus went in for a kiss, his hands tight on Alec’s waist, and he thought that he never wanted to pull back. 

“I love you,” Magnus murmured when Alec finally did pull away, “with all my heart.” 

Alec smiled, rubbing their noses together. “Oh, by the way, good news.” 

“Mmm?” 

“Turns out Lydia was the one who locked me out of the system; Helen caught her.” 

Magnus snorted. “Why does that not surprise me?” 

“Finally gives me a good reason to get rid of her, and with a charge of disobeying a direct order on her file, she’ll never be put into a position of power again. Her career is over.” Alec told him, “she can never hurt a downworlder again.”

“At least one good thing came of this ley line business,” Magnus hummed.

“That and us getting to sneak into Lorenzo’s mansion together,” Alec smiled mischievously, “that was pretty fun.”

Magnus laughed. “Yeah, I suppose it was. We make a good team.” 

“The best team,” Alec agreed, leaning his head on Magnus’ shoulder as they looked out over the city lights.

~~~~~~~~~~

“I’m home!” Catarina called, sighing as she toed off her shoes. 

“Mommy!” Madzie came running out of the living room, already dressed in her pyjamas. “Come see!” She took hold of Cat’s hand and started dragging her.

“I just got home, sweetie, I need to eat,” Cat protested, but Madzie ignored her, pulling Catarina into the living room. 

“We have food!” Madzie insisted, throwing her arms out wide to direct Cat’s gaze to the blanket fortress taking up most of the room. 

Cat laughed in disbelief. The blankets seemed to be suspended by magic, shaped like a mini fairytale castle, and Cat could see a faint light through the fabric. “Did you do this, beansprout?” 

“Nope,” Dot said, sticking her head out through the crawlspace entrance. “We worked on it together, didn’t we, Madz?” 

Madzie nodded, her eyes alight with happiness. “Uncle Magnus called and said the hospital was a very sad place today, so we made a den.”

“It’s beautiful,” Cat told them, getting down on her knees to crawl inside the fort. The ground was soft; all the pillows in the house had been laid down to make a floor, and there were soft yellow balls of magic up near the blankets to light the den. Dot was sat cross-legged in one corner, and Cat sat next to her. Madzie followed after a moment and sat in the opposite corner. 

“One last thing,” Dot said, holding out her hands. In them appeared three plates with steaming grilled cheese sandwiches on them, and Cat melted. Grilled cheese had been the first food that Dot brought Cat at work, over a year ago.

“Don’t forget the dessert!” Madzie piped up.

“Dessert after dinner, beansprout,” Dot reminded her, and Madzie shrugged, tucking into her sandwich.

Sitting in this cosy blanket fort, with the two most important people in her life, Cat felt like the hospital and the events of the day were very far away. She caught Dot’s eye and they looked at each other for a moment, Cat finding her eyes beginning to fill.

“I love you,” she mouthed, and Dot smiled, leaning in to give Cat a soft kiss. 

“I love you too,” Dot whispered.

Cat sniffed and looked at Madzie, who was chewing her sandwich and looking up at the orbs of magic, deep in thought. “What are you thinking, sweetie?” 

Madzie swallowed hard, grimacing when she realised it was a little too soon to swallow. “I wish it could always be like this.”

“It will be,” Cat promised, reaching over to boop Madzie’s nose. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“And neither am I,” Dot insisted.

Cat’s eyes made their way back to Dot, and she smiled.

She was gonna marry Dot Rollins.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Okay, okay, we gotta stop talking about the movie now,” Bat pulled Simon to a stop outside the Jade Wolf. “They all have wolf hearing and they’ll be pissed if we spoil Endgame for them.”

“Yeah, they already hate me enough,” Simon huffed, straightening his ‘team Iron Man’ t-shirt. The two of them had just come from the midnight showing of Avengers Endgame; Raj had been scheduled to join them but he’d had to cancel, something about work. “This was fun, though,” Simon smiled, “we’ll have to see the rest of the Marvel movies together.”

“Not so fast, man,” Bat sighed dramatically, “I don’t know that I’ll ever be emotionally ready for another Marvel movie.” 

Simon nodded, pushing open the door of the Jade Wolf. “That is so valid and I support you.”

The moment Simon crossed the threshold of the restaurant, four wolves including Russell got to their feet. The one closest to them was holding a baseball bat. Bat looked hastily around for Maia, his heart sinking when he realised she wasn’t there. 

“What are you doing?” Bat demanded, hoping that some of Maia’s authoritative presence had rubbed off on him. Judging by the way the wolves continued to stalk closer, he figured that he was still as unimposing as ever. 

“You are not welcome here,” Russell snarled at Simon.

“Hey, man, look,” Simon said, putting his hands up peaceably, “I don’t want any trouble, I was just hanging out with Bat.” 

“Well hang out time is over,” the wolf with the baseball bat told him, “get out.” 

“Luke said it’s cool for him to be here,” Bat argued.

“I’m not going anywhere. You’re a bunch of bullies,” Simon accused.

“Fine!” The wolf with the baseball bat yelled, “then say sayonara, motherf-” He ran towards Simon, bat raised, but as Simon flinched ready for the strike, his forehead lit up and the wolf went flying backwards, hitting the doors to the kitchen so hard that they flew off their hinges. 

For a moment the Jade Wolf was utterly silent, and then the wolf who’d attacked Simon let out a pained groan.

“Simon, what the hell is that?!” Bat yelped, pointing at his forehead. Simon raised his hand to feel, his fingers brushing over a warm diamond shape in the centre of his forehead. The other wolves went to the aid of the wolf with the baseball bat, and Simon scrambled backwards out the door and ran off into the night.

~~~~~~~~~~

Luke was just about to pull out of his parking space outside the Institute when his work phone rang. He was surprised to see that Sam was calling; he’d only ever spoken to Ollie’s wife once or twice. Worried that something had happened to Ollie, Luke answered quickly.

“Hello? Sam?” 

“Luke? Is Ollie with you?” Sam asked, “she hasn’t come home and she’s not picking up and when I tried tracking her phone it said no signal. A-and I called Apple and they said that it must mean that the phone’s been drowned or smashed to bits. What was she doing today? Where is she, Luke?!” 

“When was the last time you saw her?” Luke’s stomach twisted itself into knots. Ollie had been talking about a possible new victim the last time she checked in a few hours ago.

Sam’s voice was wavering like she was about to cry. “She called me at lunch,” she answered, “Luke, where is my wife?”

Luke swallowed around the lump in his throat. Ollie’s phone had been destroyed, she’d been investigating a possible link to the greater demon… “Sam, I’m not going to rest until I find her. I promise.”


	3. Episode 3: What Lies Beneath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This is where shit pops off! Brace yourselves for a lot of feelings. It strikes me that these chapters are very long - I hope that's okay! I'm hoping that the next episode will be out in two weeks but I've barely started it so fingers crossed I get it done nice and quickly for you all!
> 
> Trigger warnings!
> 
> Description of injury: Luke outlines the injuries that the wolf that attacked Simon sustained. We don’t actually see the injuries described.
> 
> Depiction of trauma: Raj is struggling with nightmares about Jonathan, and is visibly exhausted and run down.
> 
> Racism: This chapter we find out that the Clave is running experiments on how to turn vampires and werewolves back into mundanes. The attitudes depicted by the Consul are despicable - she sees it as the Clave doing the downworlders a favour, and refuses to accept that she is complicit in what could turn out to be a genocide. Alec briefly questions Aline as to her loyalty because her mother is implicated, but Aline assures him that she would be on the downworlders’ side. Aline is very upset by the fact that her mother is revealed to be so anti-downworlder. All of our heroes act with disgust when they find out what the Clave is up to. Towards the end of the chapter, Aldertree makes an appearance, and tells Aline and Clary that his actions during the Valentine crisis were orchestrated by the Clave to ensure as many downworlder casualties as possible. He helps Clary and Aline with evidence against the Clave, but purely for selfish reasons. Maryse tells Alec about her deruning, and tells him the worst of her crimes, and the depth of her racism. She is genuinely sorry and ashamed of her previously held beliefs, but she still had them.
> 
> Grief/anxiety: Magnus is tremendously worried about Alec’s reaction to the Clave’s experiments. He thinks of George, his lover who died, and he dwells on his paranoia that Alec could die, and reflects on how difficult it would be for him if Alec were to die, and that one day it will happen, whether now or in fifty years. Of course, we know that this is simply foreshadowing for Alec to become immortal! 
> 
> Heavy/unhealthy parent-child relationship: Jia breaks Aline’s heart by revealing herself to be all for the Heavenly Fire project. Aline is devastated.
> 
> Violence: Morgan is possessed and Izzy knocks her out so they can bring her in. Alec is thirsty for Clave blood after learning about Project Heavenly Fire, and wants to hunt down the people involved and eliminate them.
> 
> Dysphoria: Alec has a dysphoric moment before Maryse turns up at Magnus’ place, but Magnus reassures and supports him.
> 
> Institutionalised misogyny: Maryse is punished with a deruning while Robert gets away with his actions during Valentine’s first uprising. Though Maryse is guilty with terrible crimes, she is the only one in Valentine’s circle punished, presumably because she’s chosen to divorce Robert after his cheating.
> 
> Death/threat of death: Alec confronts the possibility that he could be executed for co-ordinating a rebellion against the Clave, and thinks that his death would be worth saving the downworld. Of course, we know Alec isn’t going to die, but he genuinely believes it’s a possibility at this point. Luke worries that Ollie is dead, but quickly talks himself out of the worry.

“Four broken ribs, a shattered pelvis, fractured spine-”

“Okay, we get it,” Simon muttered, running his hand through his hair. “He’ll be okay though, right? Wolf healing and all that?” 

Luke almost didn’t want to tell him. Simon was pacing back and forth in the closed Hunter’s Moon, his eyes darting anxiously around. “Actually, he’s not healing the way he’s supposed to. Cat thinks it’s because it’s a magic injury of some kind.” 

Simon swallowed hard. “So, what? Is he gonna recover?” 

“We don’t know yet,” Luke admitted. “Simon… I’m sorry, but I have to report this to Alec. That thing on your forehead is too dangerous, maybe the shadowhunters can help.”

“Raj is already helping him research it,” Maia told him, jumping down from where she was sitting on the bar. “Alec knows.”

“But he doesn’t know that it can blast people across a room,” Simon pointed out.

Luke folded his arms. He hated the idea of leaving Simon at the mercy of the shadowhunters, but he trusted Alec not to just arrest Simon and toss him in the Gard. “I’ll talk to him. For now, though, you need to keep your head down. Stay out of trouble.”

“I think it goes off when someone attacks me,” Simon said, and Maia nodded.

“I saw the CCTV footage from the Jade Wolf, Russell showed me this morning. The mark went off when Terry came at him with his bat.” She confirmed. “It should be fine if Simon just stays away from the Jade Wolf.”

“I can definitely do that.” 

“Alright, good,” Luke nodded, rubbing his forehead. “I’ll talk to Terry and the rest of the pack, and let Alec know what’s been going on.”

“Can I stay here?” Simon asked Maia, “I can sleep in the office.”

Maia looked down at her feet. “I’m sorry Simon, but the Hunter’s Moon is supposed to be a safe place for downworlders. Until we figure out what’s going on I feel like you should just go back to the DuMort.” 

“Hey,” Luke interrupted, “Simon hasn’t done anything wrong. And the odds of him getting-”

“I know he hasn’t,” Maia insisted, “and it’s nothing personal. I just don’t want to put any of our patrons in danger. What if someone gets drunk and stumbles into him? Will the mark take that as an attack? We don’t know enough, he needs to stay away until Alec can tell us more.” 

Luke opened his mouth to argue, but Simon spoke first. “It’s really okay. I can go back to the DuMort. I don’t wanna cause trouble, and I don’t wanna come between you two. It’s cool, I’ll be fine at the DuMort.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Thanks for letting me know, Luke,” Alec sat back in his chair, adding ‘talk to Raj’ to his already lengthy to-do list for the day as he cradled his phone between his ear and shoulder. “I know Raj is on it but we’ll make sure that we’re doing everything we can to help Simon. I’m sorry that this wasn’t sorted before Terry got hurt.”

“No-one could have known that Simon was so dangerous, least of all Simon,” Luke answered, “he’s gone back to the Hotel DuMort for now, but Raphael won’t be happy about having him there when he finds out what happened at the Jade Wolf.”

Alec sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Yeah, true. Alright, I’ll make sure to get a team on it. Anything else?” 

“Actually, yes,” Luke told him, “I think that Ollie’s been snatched or possessed by the greater demon we’re hunting.” 

Alec sat up straight in his chair. “Your mundane partner?” 

“Yeah,” Luke answered. “She didn’t go home last night and her phone is down. I’m getting all the CCTV I can get my hands on from the hospital, she was planning on staking it out to see if the demon returned.” 

“And she went alone?” 

“I was trying to keep her away from the danger,” Luke sounded tired. “I didn’t think the greater demon would-”

“I know,” Alec said quietly, “it’s not your fault. It’s not like you can control her, especially since glamouring her didn’t work. Luke, Raj has a working theory that the possessed mundane Tim Dempsey was driven to kill the person he loved most. Make sure that Ollie’s loved ones are secure; if she’s been possessed by the same demon for the same ritual, chances are she’ll have the same impulse.”

“Right, right, I’ll get Sam out of town,” Luke promised. “Thanks for the help, Alec.”

“Any time,” Alec promised, waiting until Luke hung up to hang up himself. He groaned loudly, slumping down in the chair. The last thing they needed, with a greater demon on the loose, was a downworlder with new, unknown powers who had no idea how to control them. Luckily, Simon wasn’t the kind of guy to start running around blasting people just because he could, so Alec figured as long as Raphael allowed Simon to hide out in the Hotel DuMort, they’d be alright for a little while.

Alec made his way to Raj’s office, bringing his iPad with him to answer some emails on the way. The corridors were quiet; everyone was working or training, and Alec thought that he’d never seen the Institute so well-organised. He was proud of what he’d achieved since he’d taken up his position as the Head of the Institute. 

“Come in!” Raj called when Alec knocked on the door of his office. When Alec went in, the first thing he noticed was how exhausted Raj looked. His hair, usually freshly coiffed, was flat and in his eyes, and he had some serious bags under his eyes. 

“You look terrible,” Alec told him.

“Wow, thanks, man.” Raj said sarcastically, rubbing his eyes. 

“When was the last time you slept?” 

Raj shrugged. “Yesterday, maybe. I don’t know, I’ve got a stamina rune for a reason.”

“You know as well as I do that a stamina rune isn’t a substitute for sleep.” Alec countered, “go to bed, holy shit.”

“I can’t,” Raj said quietly, sweeping his hair out of his face. 

Alec dragged a chair over to sit down next to him. “Why not?” 

It was clear that Raj didn’t want to talk about it, but Alec wasn’t budging. “I… I’ve been having dreams about Jonathan and I figure if I don’t sleep I can’t dream.” 

“Nightmares?” Alec guessed.

“It’s like he’s… I don’t know. Like he’s reaching out from somewhere, somewhere dark.” Raj shuddered, rubbing his arm. “I’m worried that he’s alive. We never found his body. Or if he is dead, if he’s reaching out from Hell…”

“Maybe you should see Magnus,” Alec suggested, “he’s taking clients now, maybe he can give you some kind of potion, block out these bad dreams.”

“What if he’s alive, Alec?” Raj asked, swallowing hard.

Alec put his hand on Raj’s shoulder and squeezed gently. “Then we’ll put him down all over again.”

“What if he’s working with this greater demon?”

“We’ll figure it out,” Alec promised. “For now, we have another problem. Have you had any luck figuring out what the Seelie Queen did to Simon?” 

Raj shook his head. “We’ve ruled out shadowhunter and seelie runes. We need specific information on daylighter lore, so I’m planning to take Simon to Boston once this stuff with the greater demon is over.” 

“Well… You’re gonna have to move that trip up.” Alec told him, “there’s been an incident.”

“Is Simon okay?!” 

“Yeah, Simon’s fine. A werewolf called Terry tried to attack Simon at the Jade Wolf with a baseball bat, and the mark that the Seelie Queen put on his forehead acted like a shield. It sent the werewolf flying like twenty feet and left him seriously injured. Catarina apparently thinks that the injuries are magical because the werewolf is struggling to heal.” Alec explained, “we need to find out what exactly this thing is, and find out how to reverse it.” 

“That sounds powerful,” Raj shook his head. “And here I thought once we defeated Valentine things would quieten down around here.” 

Alec snorted. “You and me both.” He got to his feet, straightening his shirt. “Try and get some sleep; I’ll ask Magnus for a portal once he’s out of his morning appointment.”

“Can you ask him for an appointment to figure out these nightmares, too?” Raj asked, and Alec nodded. “Thanks.”

“See you later. Sleep,” Alec pressed, letting himself out of Raj’s office. 

He knew it had been difficult for Raj since Sebastian had been revealed to be Jonathan. Alec remembered how awful it was when he’d found out that the person he’d thought was Magnus was actually Valentine. He remembered how his skin had crawled, how he’d felt so violated to think that he’d kissed Valentine without knowing. And Raj had had it so much worse; he’d actually fallen in love with Jonathan, and then had to help kill him. Alec’s heart went out to him, and he hoped that Magnus would be able to help with the nightmares, at least.

“Sir!”

Nobody really called Alec ‘sir’ around the Institute, so he didn’t turn at first. It took him a moment to realise that someone was trying to get his attention, but when he did he stopped and looked over his shoulder to see Hope walking purposefully towards him, anxiety clear on her face.

“Is someone mistreating you?” Alec asked her, his eyebrows knitting together.

“No, sir,” Hope assured him, “but I have to speak to you, it’s very important.”

“Alright,” Alec assented, leading her into his office and shutting the door. “You don’t have to call me sir, you know. Just Alec will do.”

“Okay, Alec,” Hope was fiddling with the hem of her t-shirt, avoiding his eyes. Whatever shaky confidence she’d built up in the walk to his office was gone now, that much was clear. 

“What is it, Hope? You can say.” Alec assured her.

Hope swallowed hard. “You being trans isn’t the only reason I applied for a posting here. I also chose to come here because of how you treat downworlders. You like downworlders, I mean, of course you do, you’re dating one.” 

“I treat downworlders as our equals because that’s what they are,” Alec insisted gently.

“Right. So… There’s some really shady stuff going on in Idris. I think…” Hope shuddered. “I think they’re trying to find a way to turn downworlders into mundanes.” 

Alec sat back in his chair, his mouth a little open. “They… What?” 

“My parents are scientists, they almost joined the circle but they were too young during the uprising, they were still at the Academy. I was shuttled around a lot as a kid because my parents were kind of the black sheep of the Clave, until recently. When Valentine came back, suddenly we were called back to Idris. It was weird, suddenly they had all this prestige granted them but they wouldn’t tell me why. So…” Hope shifted a little. “One night I stole my Dad’s keys and went to their lab. I didn’t understand everything but there were Downworlders there… In cages.”

“In the lab?!” Alec could barely believe what he was hearing. 

Hope nodded, hugging herself. “I wanted to let them go, but… There was no way I could get them out without-”

“Did you talk to them?” Alec asked.

Hope’s lower lip quivered. “A little, but… They were too scared. All I could get out of them was that they were being cured. I wanted to help, I-I… I didn’t know what to do. They’re still there now, I’m sorry, I wanted to get them out but-”

“Hope, you did the right thing. If you’d released them in Idris they’d have been killed before they got to the border. And now that I know…” Alec got up out of his chair, clenching his jaw. “Now that I know, we can put a stop to it.”

“How?” 

“I don’t know yet,” Alec admitted, turning to look out the window. Disbelief gave way to anger, and for a moment he thought he was going to burst into tears with the rage rolling through his chest. How could the Clave condone this? How could they do something so despicable? Discrimination was one thing, but experimentation? Eugenics? Genocide?

“I think the Consul knows,” Hope said quietly. “She came to a dinner party at the house. She told me that my parents were making the Clave proud.”

Alec swallowed hard. “Right. Okay.” He squeezed his hands into fists at his side. “Well then…” 

“Well then, what?”

Alec turned back to face her. “Then we’re going to have to bring down the Clave.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“That’s insane, Alec. You have to know that that story is insane,” Aline declared as soon as Alec had finished telling the senior staff Hope’s story. “My Mom is not exactly an ally but she’s not a genocidal maniac, she’s not Valentine.” 

Alec leaned on his desk. “Why would Hope lie?” 

“She might have misunderstood what she saw,” Raj pointed out, “maybe… Maybe when the downworlders said that the Clave was trying to cure them, what they meant was that they were being forcibly rehabilitated.” 

“Yeah, exactly,” Aline agreed, “I’m not saying the kid is lying but we can’t act on her word, she’s not even had her angelic rune yet.” 

“We need more information,” Izzy said quietly, “though honestly… I’m sorry Aline, but this wouldn’t surprise me. A lot of people inside the Clave would genuinely think that turning downworlders into mundanes would be a positive thing, both for shadowhunters and the downworlders themselves. Hell,” Izzy tutted, “I know a couple of downworlders who would jump at the chance to be mundanes.” 

“And they have that right,” Alec insisted, “but that’s not what’s happening here. Those people were in cages in a laboratory right in the heart of Alicante. The Consul was going to dinner with these scientists and praising them to high heavens.” 

“Helen would have known,” Aline tried, though at this point even she was floundering. Her relationship with her Mom wasn’t exactly great, but she couldn’t believe that her own mother was capable of such atrocities. “She was on the Council.” 

“Okay,” Alec sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Aline, take Clary and go to Alicante. I want you to figure out what exactly is going on over there. Ask your Mom about the Heavenly Fire programme, that’s the codename Hope gave me. You should be able to tell from her reaction what the reality is.”

“Yeah, I can do that.” Aline promised, “I’ll figure this out.”

Alec met her eyes. “If what Hope says is true, I need to know whose side you’re going to be on.”

Aline’s eyebrows twitched, but she held the eye contact without hesitation. “I would rather die than allow downworlders to be experimented on. Even if it means…” She bit the inside of her cheek to hold back the shake in her voice, “even if it means putting down my mother.”

“It’s not going to be easy,” Alec murmured, “but we have to put a stop to this.”

“I know,” Aline replied. “I agree.”

“What about the rest of us?” Raj asked.

“You’ll take Simon to Boston as planned,” Alec directed him, “we need to keep all this as quiet as possible. If we need to move against the Clave, we will need the element of surprise or all of us will be arrested and executed.” 

A grim silence came over the table. 

“I need to send Helen to the Seelie Queen, to smooth things over with her after the Valentine fiasco. We need her on side now more than ever.” Alec continued after clearing his throat, “and Izzy, you take over from Raj working on tracking the greater demon.”

“What are you gonna do?” Izzy asked.

“I am going to figure out how to tell the downworlders about this in a way that will convince them to hold off on an uprising until we have the information we need.” 

~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey,” Izzy caught up with Aline outside the office, catching hold of her elbow gently. “Are you okay? Alec was a little hard on you back there.” 

“I don’t know,” Aline answered, “I don’t know what to think or feel. I don’t want to believe it, but Alec is right. It looks bad.”

Izzy nodded. “Listen, even if your Mom knows about this, we don’t know that she organised it. Maybe she’s just kidded herself into thinking that this is-”

“It doesn’t matter if it was her idea,” Aline pointed out, “she’s the Consul. It’s her job to oversee and approve everything that the Clave does. It’s her call, one way or another. And if she approved a programme that means experimentation on downworlders, she has to go. It could’ve been Helen, or Magnus, or Maia. I can’t…” She sniffed, looking down at the ground, her hands on her hips, “I can’t stomach the thought of it. If this is true, she has to go.”

Izzy wrapped her arms around Aline’s middle, pulling her into a hug. “You’re so strong, Aline. You can do this. We’re all here for you.”

Aline hugged her back tightly, welling up. “Thanks, Iz.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey,” Luke nodded at Maia as he stuck his head around the office door. “Just heard from Alec; Raj is taking Simon on a trip to research whatever it is on his head.” 

“Good,” Maia sighed, her shoulders easing. “Then we can let him back in the Hunter’s Moon and Jade Wolf.”

“Come on, kid, it’s not like we’re banning him.” 

Maia looked at Luke with an arched eyebrow. “Luke, he almost killed Terry. I get that he’s like a son to you but he’s dangerous. We need to keep him away from the pack until the shadowhunters figure out a way to get him back to normal.”

“What if it’s irreversible? Are we just going to-”

“Yes,” Maia insisted. “If it can’t be reversed, then you have to tell Simon to stay away from the pack. You and I can just go to him to visit.”

Luke glared at her. “Last I checked you weren’t in charge of this pack.”

“Oh, I’m not?” Maia challenged, laughing in disbelief. “Funny how you say that now it suits you, but for the past couple of months you’ve left me to do all the work of leading the pack while you chased your old parabatai.”

“Valentine was a danger to all of us, I was protecting the pack!”

“This isn’t about Valentine!” Maia shouted.

“I am still the alpha of this pack!” Luke put his hand up in front of him when Maia opened her mouth to argue, “I make the rules. You enforce them as the beta.”

Maia ground her teeth together. “You want to be alpha, be my guest. But maybe try swinging by the Jade Wolf more than twice a week. Russell isn’t the only one squaring you up.”

“Is that a threat?” 

Maia folded her arms. “What, so you think I’m disloyal as well as nagging?” 

“I didn’t say you were nagging,” Luke argued, “don’t put words in my mouth.”

“I don’t have to.” She snatched up her jacket. “I’m going home. You can close up.”

Luke flinched when the door slammed behind her, and he let out a long sigh. Deep down, he knew Maia was right. Simon was a danger to the pack. The thought of telling him that he would be banned from the Jade Wolf and Hunter’s Moon, though, was heartbreaking. Simon hadn’t done anything wrong, but he was being punished. “Fuck,” he grumbled, rubbing his forehead with his fingers.

~~~~~~~~~~

Alec probably shouldn’t have answered the call from his Mom in the first place, but in all honesty he was putting off telling the downworld council about the possible threat from the Clave. He wanted to ask Magnus’ advice first but Magnus was busy checking that the angelic core hadn’t been compromised by the demonic magic it had been exposed to a few days before, so Alec answered Maryse’s call.

“Hey Mom, are you alright?”

He must have sounded tired, because she didn’t answer his question. “I should ask you the same thing.”

Alec sighed. “You know how it is,” he answered, “why’d you call? I thought you’d be busy packing for your new assignment.” Since Valentine had been caught, Robert had been assigned to the Los Angeles Institute, and it had been assumed that Maryse was going with him, since they had yet to officially split.

“Actually I’m going to be in town tonight,” Maryse told him, “I was hoping to get some dinner with you and Isabelle.”

“Oh, uh,” Alec checked his watch. “I don’t think Izzy is going to be able to make it, but if we make it a late dinner I should be able to do it.”

“Things busy at the Institute?”

“You have no idea,” Alec said wryly. 

“Alright, yes, I’ll never say no to spending time with you,” Maryse sounded a little off, but happy. Alec couldn’t quite put his finger on what was wrong, but he figured he’d figure it out later that night. “Ask Magnus, too. It would be nice to get to know him a little better.”

Alec smiled. Since making up with Izzy, and coming to terms with Alec’s relationship with Magnus, Maryse had been eager to insert herself into their lives as much as possible. It was sweet, and Alec appreciated it after so long getting only scraps of affection from her. “Yeah, I will. I’ll text you when I know the time and place, alright?” 

“I’ll see you later, baby.”

“Bye, Mom.”

“I didn’t have you pegged as the type to call your Mom every week,” Magnus said casually, smirking when Alec looked up to see him standing in the doorway of his office, “it’s cute.”

Alec leaned back in his chair, and opened his arms. Magnus’ face softened and he closed the door, walking over to where Alec was sitting to give him a hug. Burying his face in Magnus’ chest, Alec groaned softly. “I am having the worst day.”

“Oh? Shadows not being hunted efficiently as they should be?” Magnus teased, running his fingers through Alec’s hair.

“Worse,” Alec told him, pushing Magnus back to sit on his desk. “I received some intelligence this morning, and if it’s true, which I think it is, it means that the Clave is further gone on downworlder rights than any of us feared.”

Magnus sighed. “Dare I ask?”

“A new member of staff told me that their family is involved with a secret scientific experiment in Alicante called Heavenly Fire. We suspect that this project is trying to formulate a serum that turns werewolves and vampires back into mundanes.” Alec said grimly, “we believe that the Consul is involved.”

“Oh my God.”

“Yeah.”

“Alec, if this is true-”

“Then we’re going to burn the Clave to the ground,” Alec promised, taking Magnus’ hands in his. “No question about it.”

Magnus huffed. “Very funny.”

“Magnus, I’m not kidding.”

“No, I know you’re not,” Magnus’ voice was rough, “but what you just said is so terrifying that I’d rather take it as a joke.”

Alec’s eyebrows furrowed a little, and his thumb brushed the back of Magnus’ hand. “I cannot allow the Clave to experiment on innocent downworlders. I couldn’t live with myself knowing that I’m working for a system that is doing that to people. I know that the shadowhunters have been evil in the past, and I can’t do anything about that. But I can do something about what I allow shadowhunters to do right now.”

“If you try and rebel against the Clave,” Magnus pointed out, “you will be executed. You can’t-”

“I won’t be alone,” Alec insisted, “the downworld will rise up, too.”

“We tried that before, Alexander-”

“You didn’t have a generation of shadowhunters on your side then. You didn’t have the Seelie Queen either.”

Magnus shook his head. “It won’t work, Alec, they’re too powerful.”

“I won’t serve a regime that would try and hurt you, Magnus,” Alec stood up, “that’s the bottom line. If I die trying to stop them-”

“Don’t say it,” Magnus took hold of Alec’s lapels, his face desperate. “Don’t finish that sentence, don’t you dare.”

Alec pushed their foreheads together. “Between the two of us, we can do anything.”

Magnus snorted, closing his eyes. The optimism of youth was something to be marvelled at, but he couldn’t help the fear that welled up in his heart at the conviction in Alec’s voice. Alec really would die to take down the Clave, Magnus believed that. “You’re not allowed to leave me,” Magnus whispered, “I couldn’t take it.”

“I’m not gonna,” Alec’s hands stroked up and down his arms, “I’m way too stubborn for that. Besides, we haven’t verified this intelligence yet,” he pointed out, “so no moves are being made quite yet.”

“Good,” Magnus said softly, “good.”

“My Mom asked us to dinner tonight,” Alec said, hoping to distract Magnus from the heaviness of the situation around them, “I told her I could make it for a late one, wanna come? She said she’s hoping to get to know you better.”

“I’d love to,” Magnus replied. Maryse would be able to convince Alec to abandon this ridiculous notion of bringing down the Clave.

“Well that was easier than I expected it to be,” Alec chuckled. He pulled back a little from Magnus when his phone rang, frowning a little when he saw that it was Helen calling. She was supposed to be in the seelie realm by now. “Helen? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Alec, but the Queen refuses to see me without Izzy,” she answered, “her knights were fairly hostile, she’s not kidding.” 

Alec sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Alright, alright, I’ll send Izzy to you. Meet her at the entrance to the realm.”

“Seelie Queen being difficult?” Magnus sympathised once Alec had hung up. 

“Yep, as usual,” Alec nodded. “Guess I’ll have to take over tracking the greater demon.”

Magnus hummed. “Then I should leave you to it.”

“I really needed to talk to Lorenzo and the others about this Heavenly Fire mess,” Alec muttered.

“If you ask me, it’s best to wait until you know for sure what’s going on,” Magnus said, “pointless to get them worked up over nothing.”

“Yeah, true,” Alec agreed, running his hand through his hair. “God, I hope my Mom is in a good mood tonight.”

“I’m sure she will be, Alexander, she’s coming all this way to see you.”

“Wait,” Alec said slowly, “Mom is only dropping by for a couple of hours, when she’s supposed to be preparing for transfer… Something must be happening. The divorce must be finalised. Shit.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Magnus asked. As far as he’d gathered, the Lightwoods hadn’t been a happy couple for a very long time.

“I mean sure, but Mom’s probably gonna be upset,” Alec realised, biting the inside of his cheek. “I should cook for her.”

Magnus quirked an eyebrow. “Since when do you cook?” 

“I don’t, but there’s this one recipe from my grandma that me and Izzy made Mom when her father died, and it cheered her up.” He rubbed his chin, feeling the beginnings of stubble growing there, “I should recreate it for her.”

“Alexander,” Magnus put his hands on his boyfriend’s shoulders, “don’t you think you’re taking on a little too much all at once?” 

“Well, like you said, I don’t need to talk to the downworlder cabinet until Aline and Clary have verified our intel. I’ll go and start tracking the greater demon’s movements now and then once my shift is over I’ll get started on that stew.” Alec shrugged, “it’ll be relaxing.”

“If you’re sure,” Magnus said slowly, “why don’t I host, hmm? That way you won’t have to worry about hosting your Mom here.”

“If you’re sure you don’t mind, that would be great.” 

“Of course not, Alexander. It’s all too easy for me to just banish the mess once we’ve finished eating, it’s no trouble.” Magnus assured him, rubbing up and down his arms. 

Alec gave him a hug and a soft whispered thank you, and Magnus just hoped with all his heart that Maryse would be able to talk her son out of his plans for rebellion. She would never approve of Alec’s decision, and Magnus just prayed that Alec would listen to her.

~~~~~~~~~~

“I didn’t expect to see you back in Alicante so soon, Aline.” 

Aline smiled tightly. “I’m here on business, Mom.” 

She and Clary had been shown into Jia’s office as soon as they’d arrived. Perks of being the first daughter of Alicante, Aline had joked as they’d made their way up the stairs, but Clary knew that Aline was scared. She recognised the same fear in Aline that had been in Izzy when they’d first met; fear of disappointing their powerhouse Moms. Clary was glad that she hadn’t grown up in the shadow world; it seemed that shadowhunters weren’t winning any Parent of the Year awards.

“Don’t tell me Mr Lightwood sent you to deliver his decision on the Council position?” Jia guessed, sitting behind her desk.

“What Council position?” Clary blurted out. Alec hadn’t mentioned anything about a job in Alicante. 

Jia quirked her eyebrow at Clary. “The Council position I offered Mr Lightwood while you were all here for your rune ceremony last week.”

“We’re not here about that,” Aline insisted, “we’re here to ask you about Project Heavenly Fire.” She tried to stay businesslike, but the fear of what her mother would say, the implications of it, welled in Aline. Her heart was racing, her eyes flicking over every inch of Jia’s face searching for her reaction.

“Project Heavenly Fire is highly classified,” Jia told them, though she didn’t sound angry. Her tone was casual, and it made Clary angry. The Consul wasn’t even sweating at the possibility of the Clave’s sick experiment being exposed. “What have you heard about it?”

“We’ve heard that you’re experimenting on downworlders,” Clary said before Aline could give a more careful response.

Jia looked at Clary with a cool, inscrutable expression. “Project Heavenly Fire aims to bring peace after the violence of Valentine’s rampage.”

Aline put her hand out to stop Clary from stepping forward. “Mom, the reports we’ve heard have been worrying.”

“Rumours are always exaggerated, Aline, haven’t I taught you anything?” 

“So the reports that you’re keeping downworlders in cages in a laboratory are wrong?” Clary asked directly.

“She’s not a seelie, Clary,” Aline pointed out, nausea flipping over her stomach.

Jia leaned forward so that her elbows rested on her desk. “Neither of you are stationed in Alicante, nor do you possess the security clearance needed to discuss Project Heavenly Fire. If Mr Lightwood is so concerned about what is going on here in Idris, he should have taken the position on the Council when he had the chance.”

“It’s true, isn’t it?” Aline said quietly, “you’re trying to turn downworlders into mundanes.”

“The experiments are still in their infancy, but the results are promising.” Jia admitted, and Aline felt her throat close up, her head shaking. She didn’t want to believe it, but-

“You are a piece of shit,” Clary snarled, “so you admit that you’re experimenting on downworlders?!”

“Have you even bothered to think about what we could achieve if we succeeded in reversing the process of demonic corruption? We could cure people who are turned against their will. Hundreds of downworlders are created without consent every year, and-”

“Genocide.” Aline said, clenching her jaw against the tide of emotion swelling inside her. “That is what you could achieve.”

“No-one is saying that.” Jia argued.

Aline took a step closer to the desk. “You…” Her voice shook, and she took a deep breath through her nose to try to calm herself. It didn’t work; the tears sprung up even faster. “You disgust me.” 

Jia’s face dropped upon hearing that, and she started to get up. “Aline-”

“We’re leaving,” Aline grabbed Clary’s wrist and dragged her towards the door. 

“If you tell the downworlders, there’ll be bloodshed!” Jia warned them as they went.

“I’m counting on it,” Clary muttered, putting a protective arm around Aline’s back as they walked quickly towards the portal point.

The moment they were out in the corridor, Aline brought her hands to her face, and a muffled sob escaped. “She’s a monster, they’re all monsters,” she whispered, leaning into Clary’s side. 

Clary wanted to say no, but she was so angry she couldn’t bring herself to. “We’ll fix it,” she promised instead, “we’ll protect Helen and the others. I swear.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“This is our section on vampire lore.”

“Thanks,” Raj smiled at the shadowhunter who’d shown he and Simon into the library upon their arrival in Boston, “we can take it from here.”

The shadowhunters shot a look of suspicion Simon’s way, but the vampire was too busy reading the spines of the books in front of him to notice. Raj joined Simon at the shelf as the shadowhunter skulked away, glad that Simon was oblivious to the prejudice that Raj could feel tangibly in the unfamiliar Institute.

“I don’t suppose there’s going to be an Idiot’s Guide to Daylighters and Seelie Magic?” Simon tried, and Raj snorted.

“I doubt it. Just look for something on daylighters for now.”

“Got it.”

Raj’s phone buzzed loudly in his pocket, and he sighed out loud. 

“Whoa, almost blew me over with that one.” Simon teased.

“Sorry,” Raj huffed out a laugh, “it’s my fuck buddy. I forgot to tell him I’m out of town.”

“So just tell him now?” 

Raj shrugged. “If I start talking to him he won’t stop texting.”

“Oh? Do you think he likes you?” Simon asked casually.

“We don’t have to talk about guys, Simon,” Raj assured him, keeping his eyes stubbornly on the books.

“No, I mean, you’re my friend. You can talk to me about whatever, it doesn’t bother me, I promise.”

Raj smiled slightly. It was hard to talk to Alec about Charlie; Alec didn’t get the appeal of casual sex, and his advice was always ‘have you tried dating him?’ He figured it might be nice to talk to someone who actually had casual sex in the past, which he presumed Simon had. Hot nerd boys always did well in college. “Well, yeah, I think he likes me. Not even in a dating way, I think he just wants someone to hang out with. He’s a junior doctor, so his free time is always at really awkward times for mundanes. And now I told him that I basically make my own hours, he’s taken it to mean that I can hang out whenever.”

“I get you,” Simon nodded. “And you don’t want to be friends with him?” 

“No, I do,” Raj answered, “I just… I don’t want to get involved. With anybody.”

“Ouch, that sounds lonely.”

Raj shrugged. “I don’t mind being by myself.”

“Maybe not,” Simon allowed, “but it gets tiring after a while. Everybody needs somebody.” 

“Yeah, true. But I have my family at the Institute. Alec, Izzy, Clary, Aline… They keep me sane. But yeah, I mean, I like having someone to fool around with and cuddle afterwards. I don’t cope well being touch starved, but at the same time I don’t want to get hurt again, so I guess I’m just trying to push him away a little.” Raj was mostly talking to himself at this point, but Simon was still listening carefully. 

“Maybe it’s easier to be with Charlie because he’s not part of the shadow world… It’s not possible to open up to him anyway, right?”

Raj nodded. “Yeah… You’re right. But it makes it more difficult at the same time because, like, I can’t talk to him about anything, because everything in my life relates back to the shadow world. I don’t know, I wish I could find somebody who was part of the shadow world but who was okay with me not being emotionally available.” 

“I mean…” Simon could feel his face warming up, “I’d be okay with that. I know it was weird when I said I liked you before but I’m an adult. I know you, and I know what you’ve been through, and honestly I would never say no to getting in your pants. And I can understand why you need not to be in an emotional relationship right now.”

Raj looked at Simon with a searching look, and Simon swallowed hard. “Really?” 

“Yeah, I mean… If you’d want me like that.”

“I think I could want you like that.” Raj admitted, his hand slipping around the back of Simon’s neck. 

Simon’s eyes went wide. “Really?” The two of them moved closer, and Simon’s eyes darted to Raj’s lips and back again. “We’re gonna make out in a library?” 

Raj smirked. “If you want to.”

Simon didn’t have to think twice, knotting his hands in Raj’s t-shirt and pulling him down into a hard kiss.

~~~~~~~~~~

Luke had only just gotten home from closing up the Hunter’s Moon when he got a call from the precinct. “An attempted kidnapping just crossed the desk, the perp description matches the suspect from the Dempsey case,” the desk sergeant told him, and Luke picked up his jacket and car keys and headed straight back out the door.

“The victim got away?”

“Yes, she used pepper spray. Managed to disorient the attacker for a moment, long enough to wave down some uniforms. By the time the uniforms got out of the car the perp was gone.” 

“I’ll be right there,” Luke promised, hanging up the phone and dialling Clary’s number. Her voicemail picked up as he got in the car, and he cursed under his breath, trying Izzy instead. 

“Hello? I’m about to go into the seelie realm, Luke, you caught me just in time. Lead on the greater demon?” 

“Possibly,” Luke replied, “a mundane was almost kidnapped but got away. I’m on my way to the station right now.”

“I’ll be a couple of hours in the seelie realm and I’ll be on the mundane’s trail. It’s likely that the demon will go for them again.” Izzy said, sounding focussed. “Keep me updated, I’ll pick up your messages when I’m done with the Seelie Queen.”

“Right, talk later,” Luke told her, “good luck with the Seelie Queen.”

“Thanks, bye.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“We have to make this quick,” Izzy said as she slipped her phone into her back pocket, “Luke has a lead on the greater demon.” 

“The Queen isn’t going to like us rushing her,” Helen reminded her, “this is important too. If she still has ties to the circle…” 

Izzy nodded. “Okay, you’re right. Let’s just focus on the Seelie Queen for now. Luke will need at least a couple of hours to get all he can out of the witness anyway.” 

The two of them vaulted over the bridge, falling through the stream below and into the seelie realm. Helen looked just as relaxed here as she did in New York City, and for a moment Izzy wanted to ask her questions about her seelie heritage, but she held off. She didn’t know Helen as well as she knew Aline, and the last thing she wanted to do was irritate her new friend. As they neared the court, Helen tucked her hair behind her ears, revealing the points. Usually she wore her hair covering them at the Institute.

“Your Majesty,” Helen greeted the Seelie Queen with a curtsey, “thank you for agreeing to see me again. Isabelle Lightwood, at your request.”

The Seelie Queen smiled at Helen, before turning her penetrating eyes to Izzy. “Isabelle, I heard about your impressive feat at Lake Lyn. To turn back time itself-”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Izzy said quickly, her cheeks going a little pink. Helen didn’t know about the events that had passed at Lake Lyn, and the fact that the Seelie Queen did made her uneasy. “I’m glad that you approve. Word had it that you were allied with Valentine.”

“Valentine was a means to an end,” the Queen sighed, her fingers rearranging her skirts. “I knew that it was likely that he’d fail. No, Isabelle, I was playing the long game. It was not Valentine I wished to get close to.”

“Then who was it?” Helen asked.

“Jonathan Morgenstern,” she answered bluntly, “he could have proven useful, given the current situation. It’s a shame that he was cut down. His potential-”

“What do you mean, the current situation?” Izzy frowned, “are you talking about the greater demon in New York?”

The Seelie Queen hummed. “So you have already noted her presence.” 

“What do you know about it? How do you know it’s a she?” Helen was suspicious. Had the Seelie Queen helped release the demon?

“Because, my child, Lilith and I have a blood feud stemming from the very beginning of humanity. I have had to take steps to protect myself and my people, and Jonathan Morgenstern was to be the crowning glory of my-”

“It’s Lilith? The greater demon in New York is Lilith?!” Izzy could barely believe what she was hearing. “As in, Adam’s first wife? Mother of demons?” 

“Yes, Isabelle, Lilith. She’s returned to reunite her family. Luckily, I’ve been able to procure a new weapon.” 

“What new weapon?” Helen demanded, looking around. 

Izzy swallowed hard. “You’re talking about Simon. That ritual you did, his new powers.”

“Very good, Isabelle,” the Seelie Queen marvelled, “are you sure you don’t want a position at Court?”

“So Simon’s new power can hurt Lilith?” Helen checked.

“It is the only weapon that can hurt Lilith. The one thing that can banish her back to Edom, where she belongs. Simon Lewis is our only hope.”

It wasn’t like the Seelie Queen to be so direct, and the fact that she was made Helen nervous. “You’re afraid of Lilith.” 

“It would be foolish of me to not fear her,” the Seelie Queen pointed out.

“Simon is in Boston researching the ritual you did on him. What can you tell us about it?” Izzy asked, unsure if she’d get another chance.

The Seelie Queen smirked. “It never occurred to him to ask me what I did to him. Silly boy. It’s a shame that he’s the only Daylighter I have available; I do wish you’d chosen to give Raphael Santiago your blood, Isabelle, that was an oversight on your part.”

“Next time there’s a vampire bleeding to death I’ll be sure to ask him how much he knows about tactics before I save his life,” Izzy muttered sarcastically. 

“I have given him the Mark of Cain. It’s made of seelie magic, designed to act as a curse for humanity’s first murderer. It prevents him from being killed or injured, as punishment for the murder of his brother Abel.”

“Wait, how is not being injured a punishment?” Helen asked.

“He must walk the Earth forever, not aging, not dying, repelling everyone with impure intentions. He can touch only those who wish to care for him, and then he must watch them die. Is there any punishment more torturous?” The Seelie Queen asked coolly, and Izzy shivered to think of it.

“And that’s what you’ve done to Simon?” 

“It was necessary.”

“Why didn’t you just use Cain?” Helen folded her arms, “surely he is more powerful than Simon ever could be.”

The Seelie Queen arched her eyebrow. “You underestimate the power of Simon Lewis, and the cowardice of Cain.”

Izzy felt a little proud to hear that; Simon was strong in his own way, and she thought he’d appreciate knowing that the Seelie Queen recognised that in him. He’d be glad to get some answers, that was for sure.

“We should go,” Helen pointed out, “Alec and Simon need to know this information.” She gave the Queen another curtsey. “May we go, Your Majesty?”

The Seelie Queen sighed. “If you wish it. But I hope you’ll return to me soon, Helen. We have much to discuss. And you too, Isabelle.”

“I’ll visit as soon as I can,” Helen promised, and the Seelie Queen waved for the knights to escort them back to the portal.

As soon as they were back in Central Park, Izzy called Luke. “Any updates?” She asked once he’d picked up the phone.

“The witness has been released, she’s heading to a charity gig she’s organised a few blocks from you. She reported not only the woman from the hospital but a strange monster with her. I had a artist take a sketch, I’m sending it to Magnus. It seems the greater demon has a minion at their command. They must need Morgan, the witness, specifically; we need to keep an eye on her.” Luke said, and Izzy nodded.

“Alright, me and Helen will go and look out for Morgan.” Izzy told him, leading Helen towards the park exit, “any connection between her and Tim Dempsey and Ollie?” 

“I think so,” Luke murmured, “Catarina described Tim as a saint. Morgan spends all her free time raising money for charity, and Ollie is… Well, she’s a great woman. Dedicated and compassionate. I think that the demon is going after virtuous mundanes.”

Izzy swallowed hard. “We know what demon we’re looking for, that might help too. It’s Lilith, mother of demons.” 

Luke inhaled sharply. “How do you know that?” 

“The Seelie Queen told us. Tell Magnus, and tell him what you just told me about your theory. He might be able to figure out what she’s up to.” 

“Good call. Go and get Morgan, I’ll text you the details.”

“So Lilith is corrupting virtuous mundanes?” Helen guessed from the half of the conversation she’d heard, and Izzy nodded once she’d hung up. “That sounds like serious magic.”

“Yeah, I have a very bad feeling about this. Morgan will be the third victim, and-”

“Three is a magical number,” Helen muttered, fluffing her hair so that it covered her ears once more. “We need to stop her from getting her hands on Morgan.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Magnus wasn’t sure who exactly he’d expected when he found out that the greater demon in New York wasn’t his father, but it definitely wasn’t Lilith. He’d encountered her in her true demonic form during his time in Edom; at one point his father had tried pushing him as a suitor to the Queen of Edom. Magnus had escaped before Lilith had the chance to agree or refuse. When Luke sent the sketch of the demon working with her, Magnus recognised it immediately. “It’s a shape-shifting foot soldier demon,” he told Alec, “she must have gained enough power to bring demons through from Edom.”

“That can’t be good,” Alec muttered, measuring off a cup of paprika with a spatula. He’d been throwing the most random ingredients into Magnus’ biggest stew pot for the past twenty minutes. “Any idea what she’s doing?”

“My knowledge of demonic magic is, uh… Well, literally a blank space.” Magnus admitted. Alec’s eyes focussed on Magnus, his eyebrows furrowing. “It’s a long story. I ripped out my knowledge a long time ago. I’ll tell you the story of why another time. The only thing I can think to do is to ask Jem.” 

“Jem? Is that a warlock?” Alec asked, emptying the cup into the pot and stirring. 

“No, he’s a Silent Brother.” Magnus answered, “an old friend.”

“Really? I had no idea you had connections to the Silent Brothers,” Alec said, impressed.

“I don’t, just Jem. He was part of the last downworlder-friendly generation of shadowhunters, back in the late 19th Century. Again, it’s a long story. He’s spent the last 100 years stationed at Alexandria studying magic theory. Sebastian Verlac may have been a help too, but…” He trailed off grimly, and Alec nodded. 

“Alright, I can send a request for Jem… What’s his Silent Brother name?”

“No, no,” Magnus shook his head, “Jem would be punished for collaborating with downworlders. He’s still under probation. I’ll get in touch with him privately, set up a meeting by myself. He’ll spook if the Head of the Institute is involved.”

“He has to know I’m not gonna report him-”

“Alexander,” Magnus put his hands on Alec’s shoulders from behind, kissing his cheek. “Jem’s been through things you can’t even imagine. He has good reason not to trust the Clave. I can do this myself.”

Alec didn’t like it, Magnus going off to meet a mysterious Silent Brother by himself, but he didn’t have much choice but to relent. “Is he an ex?” 

“No, no, nothing like that. You’re my first shadowhunter, pup.” Magnus assured him, “not that it would matter if he were.”

“No, I know,” Alec protested, his cheeks going a little pink. He both hated and loved the fact that Magnus was trying to make ‘pup’ a thing. “I’m just curious about your past. You know basically everything about me, and… I don’t know, I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface with you.”

Magnus smiled, squeezing Alec a little around his middle. “You have the rest of your life to learn about me, darling.”

That made Alec hum happily, leaning back into Magnus’ touch. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Magnus kissed Alec’s cheek again before peeling himself away. “I have to go and write a fire message.”

Alec watched Magnus go, wondering if he would ever truly think that he knew everything about Magnus Bane. One of the things he’d found attractive about Magnus when they met was his mystery, his seemingly bottomless well of experience. It had been thrilling and reassuring at the same time, to know that Magnus knew what he was doing, because god knew that Alec had less than zero idea what love between men was supposed to look like. Magnus had been an open book, answering his questions honestly during the long hours between lovemaking and dawn in those first few weeks. It was only recently that Alec realised that though Magnus was honest, he hadn’t been forthcoming about the things that he thought Alec wouldn’t like. His feelings about Alec’s career path, his parentage, the years after his Mom had died. 

“Oh, something’s bothering you,” Magnus cooed, thumbing at Alec’s cheek as he swept back into the room. “Still thinking about Jem? It’s not personal, he-”

“No, it’s not that.” Alec assured him, “I just… You know that nothing could ever stop me from loving you… Right?” 

Magnus’ eyebrows scrunched in the middle for a moment, surprise and maybe a little sheepishness on his face. His head shook, just a tiny bit, and Alec put down his wooden spoon. 

“You could tell me that you personally slaughtered an entire legion of shadowhunters, and I would still love you exactly the same as I do now.” Alec insisted, bringing Magnus’ hands up to his face to kiss his palms. “Nothing you say will scare me or push me away. Ever. I promise you.”

“You can’t know that.” 

Alec snorted. “But I do, Magnus. Because I know as sure as the sun that you are a good man, and whatever terrible thing you think you’ve done, you had a reason to. Whether that was trauma, or revenge, or the greater good. I trust you and I will never judge you. So… Don’t feel like you have to edit your past. I want to know it all, I want to love all of you.” He knew Magnus well enough to know that he wouldn’t know what to say in response to that, so he turned away and picked his wooden spoon back up. “Can you taste this? Your palate is better than mine.” 

Magnus, sure enough, was shocked into stillness, overwhelmed by the depth of Alec’s love for him. Had he ever felt unconditional love like this? He couldn’t remember ever feeling more validated or treasured. With Alec’s question, he cleared his throat, and nodded. “Yes, of course. The ingredients you’ve been putting in have been very strange, no doubt it tastes very…” 

Alec scooped up some stew on the spoon and held it out to Magnus, his oven-mitted hand underneath it to catch any spills. 

The moment the hot liquid touched Magnus’ tongue, he had to fight his face not to screw up, though he couldn’t stop his eyes from widening. He had never in his 400 years tasted anything so bad. It was like vibrant dishwater, but spicy. Too spicy. “Mmmm!” He forced out the noise, and Alec’s face lit up. 

“You like it?” 

Magnus stubbornly kept his mouth closed, but he couldn’t bring himself to swallow. Luckily, Alec’s phone started to ring, and Magnus reached for the wooden spoon. 

“No, no, no magical tweaking, it’s fine,” Alec ordered, putting the spoon down to answer the phone. 

As soon as Alec left the room Magnus spat the stew out into the nearest mug, his whole body shuddering in disgust. “Oh my god,” he muttered, looking down into the stew pot and waving his fingers over it, transforming the monstrosity into a nice, reasonably spicy tomato soup. It looked more or less the same, so Alec shouldn’t notice. Magnus heard Alec coming back and put the spoon down once more, busying himself with washing up the chopping boards Alec had used. 

“That’s Mom, she’s on her way.” Alec told Magnus as he came back in, “could you set the table?” 

“Of course, Alexander,” Magnus assured him, kissing him on the cheek and making a swift exit from the kitchen in the hopes that Alec wouldn’t notice that Magnus had fixed his cooking.

~~~~~~~~~~

Izzy and Helen managed to find the club where Morgan’s benefit concert was being held with no problems. Luke had sent them her passport photo, but it was difficult to match the formal, bare-faced photo to the young women dressed to the nines inside the club. The two women split up, their runes glamoured. Helen went to the ladies bathroom to try and ask some drunk mundanes about Morgan, and Izzy stationed herself by the bar. 

“Wow, I love your hair,” a mundane girl gushed at Helen as she washed her hands. Helen smiled, and reached out to steady her when she pitched to the side.

“Are you okay?” Helen checked.

“I’m great!” The mundane insisted, “have you tried the cocktails here? They’re so good!”

“No, not yet,” Helen replied, “hey, have you seen Morgan? I have-”

“MORGAN!” The mundane girl yelled, looking around the bathroom. “Nope! She’s not in here!” 

Helen snorted with laughter, endeared by the mundane’s antics. “Thanks.”

“You’re looking for Morgan?” Another mundane girl asked as she came out of the bathroom. “I last saw her being chatted up by some guy. Dunno if he was a dealer or what, he looked twitchy.” 

“Did you see where they went?” Helen asked, straightening up a little. 

“Uhhh, I think they went to smoke? They were headed towards the back door.”

Helen made a beeline for the door. “Thanks, enjoy your night,” she said over her shoulder, blonde hair swishing behind her. She went to Izzy first; they were going to need to work as a team to keep Lilith and her demons off the mundane. “I’ve got a lead, come on,” Helen said, leading the way towards the back door. 

“Wait, look,” Izzy stopped Helen as they reached the other end of the dancefloor. A phone was lying face-down on the floor, and when Izzy picked it up and pressed the unlock button, both women immediately recognised Morgan in the lockscreen picture along with a couple of friends. “Come on,” Izzy muttered urgently, pulling her bracelet off her wrist and letting it transform into her staff.

They were a moment too late in getting outside; there was a demon looming over Morgan’s prone form, some kind of demonic energy passing between its mouth and Morgan’s. Izzy cracked her whip, and Helen pulled her axe off her back, the glamour on it dropping as she rushed towards the demon. It jumped off Morgan as Helen swung the axe, and disappeared off into the night’s sky. 

“Get after it,” Izzy said, rushing to Morgan’s side.

“I can’t,” Helen said, looking around. “I think it can fly. It’s gone.”

Morgan suddenly sat up, the whites of her eyes showing, and Izzy hastily knocked her out with the butt of her whip. Helen scrambled on top of her and got her hands in adamas handcuffs. The two women hauled Morgan up to her feet, carrying her between them. Izzy dug in her pocket for her phone and sent out a signal for the Institute Ambulance to pick them up. 

“Over there,” Izzy nodded towards the wall at the mouth of the alley, “we’ll prop her up there, the mundanes will assume we’re taking her home because she’s been spiked.” 

“Good call,” Helen muttered, flicking her stele across her strength rune and tossing Morgan over her shoulder fireman style. 

~~~~~~~~~~

“Your Mom’s here, just felt her cross the wards downstairs,” Magnus told Alec, sticking his head around the kitchen door. 

“This shirt doesn’t emphasise my hips too much, does it?” Alec asked anxiously, his hands smoothing down his sides like it would somehow squish the tiny curve there. 

Magnus’ expression softened, and he came into the kitchen to gently tug Alec’s hands away from his body. “You look like the man of my dreams.” 

The assurance relaxed Alec, and he nodded, breathing out slowly. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay,” Alec insisted, “it’s just hard to shake off the instinct to feel like shit about myself when she comes to visit.”

Magnus squeezed Alec’s hand. “She was cruel to you for a long time, but that’s over now. You’ve got nothing to be afraid of, and besides, I’m right here.” 

“I know,” Alec said softly, his eyes darting from Magnus to the door when he heard the doorbell ring. “She’s just here to spend time with us, no big deal.”

“Right,” Magnus agreed, letting Alec lead the way to the door. Truth be told, he was a little nervous about Maryse’s visit as well. Though they occasionally texted, Magnus hadn’t spent time with Maryse in person since the time he tested hers and Izzy’s blood for angelic power.

“My boys!” Maryse beamed when Alec opened the door, stepping forward to hug Alec tightly. “Oh, sweetheart, you’re glowing!” She enthused as she pulled back, squeezing Alec’s biceps as she gave him a long look. 

To both Magnus and Alec’s shock, Maryse let go of Alec and turned to hug Magnus too. Magnus’ eyes widened, stunned into stillness for a moment. It had been a very, very long time since he’d had a mothers’ hug, and he patted her back gently a few times, his cheeks burning. 

“I’m not exactly a boy, but…” Magnus smiled at her when she pulled back, “I appreciate the sentiment.”

“Oh, my apologies, Magnus, I didn’t realise that you weren’t cisgender.” Maryse said.

“Oh,” Magnus could barely keep up with the surprises. “I… I just meant that I’m… Well, old.” 

Maryse giggled. “Oh of course,” she rolled her eyes at herself, “silly me. I should respect my elders.”

Alec was speechless, his eyes darting between his mother and his boyfriend. Maryse caught his eye and smiled at him reassuringly. 

“Oh, Magnus,” Maryse remembered, carefully digging around in her purse, “Alec let me know not to bring a bottle of liquor this time, I apologise for Max’s rune ceremony, I had no idea-”

“It’s quite alright, I re-gifted it to a friend who appreciated it enormously,” Magnus insisted.

Maryse pulled a square white box out of her purse. “I brought dessert instead.”

“That’s very kind of you,” Magnus took the box from her, “thank you. I’ll go and put it in the refrigerator.” 

Alec led Maryse through to the living room, where Magnus had set up the dinner table. “Izzy said that she’ll catch up with you soon, she was summoned by the Seelie Queen.” He explained as the two of them took their seats. 

“Would either of you like a glass of wine?” Magnus offered from the kitchen.

Maryse looked at Alec, who shook his head. “No, thank you, Magnus.”

“Are you sure? It’s of no consequence to me, I assure you.” Magnus poked his head around the door. “I can conjure whatever you like.” 

“Oh, if that’s the case, I would love an iced tea.” Maryse admitted, “it’s quite humid this evening.” 

“Make that two?” Alec requested, and Magnus flicked his fingers towards them. A sweating pitcher of iced tea appeared between mother and son, two glasses alongside it.

“Goodness me,” Maryse laughed a little breathlessly, “I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to that.”

Magnus chuckled, coming back into the room and sitting down next to Alec. “Conjuring is one of the best parts of being a warlock. We’re trying to teach Madzie, my god-daughter, that she shouldn’t conjure absolutely everything. Last thing we want is her relying on magic for everything.” 

“I can’t imagine how hard it must be to raise a warlock child,” Maryse shook her head, “it was bad enough raising shadowhunter kids.”

“It has unique challenges, let’s put it that way,” Magnus smiled, fond at the thought of Madzie’s antics with magic. 

“We weren’t that bad,” Alec shrugged, taking a sip of iced tea.

Maryse huffed out a soft laugh. “Izzy wasn’t too bad, but you were a little terror.”

“Was he?” Magnus asked, his eyes lighting up. 

“He insisted on getting involved when there was something going on. There’d be a crisis, and he’d go missing. Every time!”

“I was eager to help, that’s not a bad trait,” Alec argued.

“Imagine if you had a four year old in your Institute that insisted on toddling his way to the armory while Valentine was trying to bust in the door.” Maryse raised her eyebrow, and Alec ducked his head as Magnus laughed.

“Alright, maybe I can see how that was worrying.” Alec admitted.

“So he was always a workaholic, then?” Magnus asked, resting his elbow on the table and his chin on his hand. 

Maryse smiled nostalgically. “From the minute he could walk he wanted to help people. He’d run off to his father’s office whenever I turned my back for a moment.”

“In the end Dad got me a little desk of my own in there,” Alec remembered.

“You’d write your own memos in crayon,” Maryse sighed, her eyes a little misty. 

Magnus’ heart felt so full at the mental image of a tiny little Alec scribbling messages in crayon at his own little desk. It was too cute. He squeezed Alec’s knee gently. “I’m not surprised that he started so young, our Alexander has a one-track mind.”

“Not so much these days,” Alec shrugged, his eyes on Magnus.

“I always worried that he’d focus too hard on work and not find time for a partner,” Maryse admitted, “I’m glad that the two of you found each other.”

“Me too,” Alec smiled, his hand finding Magnus’ on his knee, their fingers lacing together. 

Magnus was touched, both by Maryse’s acceptance, and Alec’s openness. He gazed at Alec for a long moment, the two of them smiling gently. “I should go and get dinner, you must be hungry,” Magnus tore his eyes from Alec to look at Maryse, who looked vaguely sad despite the smile on her face. 

“I made Nana’s stew,” Alec said proudly as he got up, and Magnus recognised the hunger for approval in his face. Alec often had the same expression when he planned a date on his own and hoped for Magnus to tell him how wonderful it was. It was painfully adorable, and Magnus resisted the urge to coo at him and headed out to the kitchen, Alec hot on his heels.

“Oh… How nice.” Maryse sounded like she was dreading it, and Magnus bit his lip to hold in a chuckle. 

Magnus grabbed his best spoons while Alec served the food, and between them they brought the three bowls out to the table. “How are things in Alicante, Maryse?” He asked as they came back out to the living room, “I imagine now that Valentine’s gone things are fairly quiet for you.”

“Well…” Maryse gave Alec a grateful smile when he placed a bowl of soup in front of her, looking down into the red liquid with a barely hidden fear. Magnus watched her carefully as she slowly took her first taste, satisfaction making him smile when the surprise registered on Maryse’s face. “Wow… I have no idea what you did to this recipe, Alec, but it’s delicious.”

“What do you mean?” Alec asked, his eyebrows furrowing. “This is the same recipe me and Izzy made for you when Grandpa died.” 

Maryse looked confused but happy. “Hardly. That stew you made then was dreadful!”

Alec’s face fell. “What?”

“It was so sweet, Magnus, you should have seen them,” Maryse gushed, stirring her soup. “The two of them, Izzy and Alec, smears of angel-knows-what on their faces, looking up at me with those big brown eyes. They’d tried so hard to cheer me up that I just had to eat it, but… Oh my goodness, I still have nightmares about that damn stew! But this! This is excellent, a total transformation!”

Alec shot Magnus a dirty look, and Magnus bit his lip to hide a smile, innocently clearing his throat. 

“Our man is a genius,” Magnus insisted, “you should try his waffles.” 

“Oh, maybe I’ll have to come over for breakfast one day,” Maryse marvelled.

“Magnus helped with the-”

“Oh, I almost forgot! I made a batch of virgin martinis! Can I tempt you, Maryse?” Magnus offered, getting up from the table. 

“That would be lovely, thank you!”

~~~~~~~~~~

On the way back to the portal site, Aline had had the idea to go and see if they could find any concrete evidence of Project Heavenly Fire. The Academy was their best bet; it was free to be visited by any shadowhunter, and it was pretty common for young shadowhunters to be pulled from the Academy to be used as workers for the more dangerous experiments. After all, young shadowhunters were eager to prove themselves, easily molded, and had a lot less to lose than qualified shadowhunters. Most young shadowhunters, especially those without aristocratic family names, would jump at the chance to work on a top-secret Clave project, in an attempt to make their mark on the shadow world and perhaps earn their low-born name some favour.

Ragnor had declined the Clave’s offer to go back to teach at the Academy. As a result, the only teachers there now were shadowhunters, and none that Clary knew. Aline, though, seemed to know everybody, or at least everyone seemed to know her. They spoke to a couple of professors, who either had no idea what Heavenly Fire was, or who clammed up at the mention of it. 

“I don’t know that we need concrete evidence anyway,” Clary muttered as the seventh professor made her excuses and left, “the downworlders will believe us.”

“We need as many shadowhunters as possible if this comes to a fight,” Aline pointed out, tapping her foot impatiently. “They won’t be as eager to turn against the Clave.”

“I may be able to help with that.” 

Clary knew that voice, and she could barely believe her eyes when she turned around to see VIctor Aldertree standing in the doorway. “And why the hell would you help us?” She asked sarcastically.

Aldertree let himself into the classroom and closed the door behind him. “I misjudged the situation in New York. I thought that the Clave would grant me an Institute in exchange for my help during the Valentine crisis-”

“You were less than useless during the Valentine crisis.” Clary said flatly. 

“Was I? Or was I doing the exact job that the Clave wanted doing?” Aldertree asked. 

Clary narrowed her eyes at him.

“Explain,” Aline ordered. 

“My mission in New York was to incite a downworlder uprising against Valentine. The theory was that Valentine and the downworld would weaken each other, and then once Valentine was dealt with, the downworld would be more easily controlled.” Aldertree explained, “everything I did in that Institute was designed to piss off the downworlders. I didn’t count for you and your little group in my plans.” 

“And why would you tell us this now?” Aline was suspicious. This was too easy.

“All I want is the chance to prove my leadership skills,” Aldertree shrugged, “the Clave have demoted me for doing the exact thing they asked of me.”

“Helen would have told us if the Clave was purposefully trying to incite rebellion,” Aline pointed out, “she was on the Council.”

“For show. Ask her yourself, Miss Blackthorn attended fortnightly meetings with the Council. Except, if you ask the official scribe, Council meetings are weekly.” 

Clary and Aline shared a look. “So you want to turn against the Clave because they demoted you?” Clary clarified.

“I want to be on the winning side,” Aldertree replied flatly, “and if Alec Lightwood is garnering the support of the New York downworld, the rest of the downworld will follow.” Aldertree glanced towards the door to check that it was still shut. “The Clave won’t have a hope. They will be toppled, and the downworld will win.”

“And after your bullshit in New York, you expect to be on the hit list of any downworlder government.” Aline realised, putting her hands on her hips. 

Aldertree nodded. “I’m not stupid, Miss Penhallow. If the downworlders come to power and I didn’t do something to help them, I will be hunted.”

“So what have you got on Project Heavenly Fire?” Clary demanded. 

“These.” Aldertree pulled his phone out of his back pocket, and after a few swipes of his thumb, he turned the phone towards Clary and Aline. 

On the screen was a clear picture of two vampires in a cage. As Aldertree swiped, more pictures appeared, of werewolves in a cage, of a dead vampire, of a complex network of test tubes and pipes and chemistry equipment. Aline took the phone from him, and sent the pictures to her personal phone. 

“This could get you deruned,” Aline pointed out. 

“Siding against the downworlders could get me killed,” Aldertree countered.

Clary and Aline exchanged a look, and after a long pause Clary sighed and nodded. 

“You should come back to New York with us,” Aline said, and Aldertree snorted. 

“Absolutely not. You have the pictures. Use them, and when the fight comes, remember who your friends are.” Aldertree urged them. 

“I will remember that you gave us this information, but you’re not doing this because you care about downworlders or their freedom. You just want to save your own ass.” Clary growled. 

“And what difference do my motives make when I’ve just handed you a sure-fire way of raising an army?” Aldertree countered. 

“He’s right, Clary…” Aline admitted, nodding at Aldertree, “your assistance will be remembered when this is all over.” 

~~~~~~~~~~

“So what’s new in the New York Institute?” Maryse asked as Alec cleared the table, picking up the empty bowls and taking them through to the kitchen. “Is he staying out of trouble?” She teased Magnus. 

“Oh, never,” Magnus chuckled nervously, twisting one of his rings round his finger. He glanced up to see that Alec was lingering in the kitchen, presumably rinsing the bowls. “You have to talk him out of it,” he murmured urgently, leaning forward in his chair. 

“Talk him out of what?” Maryse whispered. 

Magnus looked into Maryse’s eyes, deliberating on whether she would betray them. He saw only worry, and deep down, he knew that he could trust her with this. “He found out about Project Heavenly Fire.” 

“About…?” Maryse seemed genuinely confused, and relief flooded Magnus’ heart.

“Project Heavenly Fire,” Alec repeated, appearing in the kitchen doorway with a towel in his hands. His face was drawn, serious. “Tell me the truth. Did you know about it?” 

Maryse swallowed hard. “Alec, I am… The Clave, it…” She fiddled with the napkin in her hands. “Sit down, baby. There’s something I have to tell you.”

Alec looked suspicious as he walked over to sit, scooting his chair closer to hers. “What is it?”

“I don’t know anything about anything the Clave is doing. I’ve been… Well…” She looked at Magnus, who quickly got up.

“I’ll make a start on the dishes,” he mumbled, pressing a kiss to the top of Alec’s head. 

Once Magnus was gone, and the kitchen door tactfully closed, Maryse moved around the table to sit where Magnus had, taking Alec’s hands in hers. Alec’s eyebrows were furrowed, his eyes desperately searching his mother’s for any hint of what was bothering her. 

“In light of Valentine’s rise, a lot of his old comrades were investigated again, including me.” Maryse told him gently, her fingers squeezing his. 

“And Dad?” 

“Yes,” Maryse nodded, “he’s already been cleared of any further punishment.”

Alec narrowed his eyes. “And you’re still waiting to hear?” 

Maryse shook her head, tears jumping to her eyes. “No, honey. They found me guilty of treason. Last time I got off light, because-”

“You were married to Dad,” Alec ground out. “This is punishment for his affair, they’re blaming you.”

“No, they’re not,” Maryse insisted, “they’re not. This is a just punishment. What I did for Valentine, it is unforgivable.”

“No, Mom, they don’t care what you did for Valentine,” Alec argued, “this is a warning to the women-”

“I helped Valentine plan the assault that wiped out the pack in San Francisco.” Maryse whispered, her tears spilling over. “Magnus… He was there. He could tell you,” her lower lip wobbled, “how terrible it was. I should have been deruned a long time ago, baby. This is just.” 

“They-” Alec’s heart was racing, torn between rage and heartbreak. “They’re… They’re deruning you?” 

Maryse nodded, swiping at her tears. “It’s just, Alec. It’s what I deserve. I am unworthy of these runes.”

“Listen to me,” Alec said evenly, clenching his jaw against his own tears, “the Clave don’t give a fuck about downworlders. No, no, listen,” he insisted, squeezing her hands when she opened her mouth, “they are experimenting. They’re trying to develop a way to turn downworlders back into mundanes. They have downworlders in cages in Alicante, they want downworlders dead or mundane. Mom, this is not about the downworlders, this is about-”

“Alec, what are you talking about? There are no downworlders in Alicante.” Maryse’s eyes were darting over Alec’s face, trying to wrap her head around his words. 

“Aline and Clary are in Alicante right now investigating,” Alec told her, “we don’t have proof yet, but I can feel it in my gut, it’s true. And if they don’t care about downworlders, they have a different motive for deruning you, and I’m-” 

Maryse closed her eyes, her eyebrows pinched. “Alec, it doesn’t matter why they’re deruning me. Didn’t you hear what I said?” 

Alec faltered. “You… You were brainwashed by Valentine, y-you-”

“No, no I wasn’t.” Maryse pressed, her eyes opening to reveal an agonised expression. “I believed it, Alec, you know I did. Until recently, I genuinely thought that downworlders were below us, barely human. You know this. I am not worth these runes,” she said firmly. “I am going to go before the angel, and they are going to take away my runes. And that is what I deserve.”

“But… You learned. You’re doing well, you’re treating downworlders like they should be treated.”

“That doesn’t erase what I did. I need to pay. Those werewolves deserve justice. Valentine is dead. Someone has to answer for those crimes.” 

Alec knew she was right. He didn’t know what to say.

Maryse squeezed his hands. “I will always be your Mom, and I will always be here for you and Izzy and Max. But this is how it has to be.”

After a moment, Alec nodded, dropping his eyes to their joined hands. “That doesn’t change what I have to do.” 

“What you have to do?” Maryse asked.

“The Clave are experimenting on downworlders, trying to force them to be mundane. I can’t let it happen.” 

“Alec… If you tell the downworld, there will be war. People will die.” Maryse warned him, “that is a lot to have on your conscience.” 

“Yeah, maybe,” he murmured, “but if I do nothing, I could end up with the death of the downworld on my conscience.” 

Maryse looked at the closed kitchen door. “Magnus doesn’t approve of your plan either, does he?” 

“He thinks it’s too dangerous,” Alec admitted.

“He’s right.”

“We can beat them, I know it.” Alec whispered fiercely, “if we can unite the downworld, get about a fifth of the shadowhunters, we could topple the Clave once and for all.” 

“If you are caught before you get the army in place,” Maryse stressed, “you will be killed, Alexander. No deruning, no questions, they will kill you for this. I won’t-” She swallowed hard, “I won’t be able to protect you, and neither will Magnus.”

“I know,” Alec nodded, “and that’s okay. If I die, then I die defending the freedom to be who you are without apology.” He licked his lips. “That’s how this was always going to end, Mom, you know that.”

“That is not acceptable!” Magnus burst out, and Maryse and Alec looked up to see him standing in the kitchen doorway. “Alexander, your life is precious. You are twenty-six years old! Think of your family! Think of-” he faltered, shaking his head. “Think of me.” 

“Magnus,” Maryse said softly, holding out her hand to him. Begrudgingly, he walked over to take it, and she squeezed his fingers gently. “A shadowhunter’s life is given to protecting those who need it. For a long time I believed that that meant mundanes, and mundanes only. But I was wrong. The downworld needs defenders too.”

“I thought you would talk him out of this,” Magnus was almost angry. “How can you be okay with him throwing his life away like this?!”

“Who said anything about throwing my life away?” Alec asked, raising his eyebrow when Magnus looked at him. “Magnus, this isn’t a suicide mission. We can do this.”

“But your mother just said-”

“If he gets caught before he raises the army,” Maryse emphasised, “Magnus, if between you, you can unite the downworld and a fair number of shadowhunters… You will win this. The Clave is in no way prepared for war. A lot of people will die, but… I think that you would win.” 

Magnus and Maryse held eye contact for a lingering moment, sadness and the tiniest spark of hope passing between them. 

“We can do this,” Alec insisted.

~~~~~~~~~~

Luke was exhausted. He’d been combing the city looking for Ollie for hours. Sam was safe, and Luke had checked up on the family members that Sam had told him about, but none of them had seen her, either. Luke was starting to worry that Lilith had outright killed her, but where was the body? Lilith wouldn’t bother to hide it. And someone would’ve found it by now if it wasn’t hidden. 

He believed that Ollie was still alive, but what did Lilith want her for? What would Lilith make her do?

All he wanted to do was go home, be by himself. But Maia’s words had been haunting him since they’d argued in the Hunter’s Moon. The pack needed him; he was meant to protect them, lead them. He was starting to realise that he’d become alpha for all the wrong reasons, and that the pack deserved someone who was able to prioritise them. Luke wasn’t that person. As he walked into the Hunter’s Moon, he knew what he had to do.

Maia was studying in a booth near the kitchen when he walked into the Jade Wolf, and Luke made a beeline for her. She didn’t look up when he sat down, ignoring him in favour of her textbook. Only when Luke cleared his throat did her eyes lift, and the accusations in her face told him that she hadn’t forgiven him yet. 

“You were right,” Luke admitted, and Maia’s eyebrows lifted a little. “My priorities aren’t where they should be.” 

“No shit,” Maia said softly, capping her pen and putting it down. Her fingers wound together on top of her textbook. “So are you going to tell Simon he can’t be here?” 

Luke leaned a little closer to her. “No, but you are.” 

“What, you need the beta to do your dirty work?” Maia scoffed, shaking her head.

“No,” Luke insisted, “because you’re going to be the alpha.” 

Maia blinked slowly. “What are you talking about?” 

“The pack needs someone who’s going to be here for it. I have too much going on, my family consists of a werewolf, a shadowhunter and a vampire. And then there’s my job. I haven’t been the alpha that the pack deserves. You can be that alpha.” Luke explained, “you’re a natural leader and you know how to make the hard choices.”

“But you can’t just give up being an alpha. It’s taken by force, in a fight to the death.” 

“Not always,” Luke told her, “there’s a way to hand it over peacefully.”

Maia sat back, folding her arms. “I have a life too.”

Luke hadn’t expected that response. He’d expected her to jump at the chance to mold the pack. “I know,” he said, reeling. “But… You love the pack.”

“You said you can’t be alpha because of your feelings about Clary and Simon, but I love two shadowhunters.”

“But you don’t let them get away with anything that would hurt the pack. During the soul sword crisis, you could see both sides of the issue with Alec and Clary even though you had feelings for her. That emotional intelligence is what the pack needs.” Luke reminded her.

“I…” Maia had no idea what to think. She didn’t feel worthy, she didn’t feel ready, she felt like Luke was making a terrible mistake. But she also knew, deep in her gut, that her doubts were unfounded. Luke had been a pretty terrible alpha for a few months now, and Maia knew that she’d already been doing all the work that an alpha should do. “Okay,” she answered, before she could talk herself out of it. “But you know this means that Simon is banned from the Jade Wolf and Hunter’s Moon until further notice.”

Luke nodded, a smile breaking out on his face. “I’m proud of you.”

Maia cracked a small smile in return. “Thanks.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Magnus was glad to get away from the loft for a while. Alec was back there clearing up, Maryse gone back to Alicante for the moment. Magnus felt numb with paranoia. He couldn’t shake the worry that had gotten hold of him; Alec was going to stand against the Clave. Alec was going to rebel and there was nothing Magnus could say to convince him that it was a bad idea. There was a real chance that Alec could die in the next few weeks. 

He’d always known that he’d lose Alec one day. Magnus had fallen in love with mortals several times over the course of his life, but Alec was only twenty-six. He’d thought they’d have decades. Perhaps, in hindsight, that had been foolish. After all, Alec was a shadowhunter, and their lives were fraught with danger. When Alec had been given the Head of the Institute job, Magnus had been glad not only for Alec’s career progression but for the reduction in field missions that it’d mean.

With every reassurance that left Alec’s lips, Magnus was reminded of George, his earnest grey eyes as he insisted that he had to fight against the South, he had to help stop the slavers. It was the right thing to do. He couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t fight against such evil. 

Magnus wrapped his arms tightly around himself, sitting down on a bench in the depths of Central Park. He looked up at the stars, remembering George’s promise the night before he left for war. 

If I fall on the field, I’ll rise. I’ll rise to the stars and watch you always, my truest love.

Magnus had barely survived George’s death. It still hurt, 150 years later. Alec, though, was different. Alec was something else. Alec was the oxygen in Magnus’ lungs. Alec was supposed to be the one that Magnus had a real life with, marriage, kids. Alec had asked him if he believed in soulmates, what felt like half a lifetime ago. The truth was, Magnus hadn’t… Not until Alec came along.

How was he supposed to go on when Alec was gone? 

He sniffed hard, rubbing his arms. 

“Old friend.” 

Magnus felt Jem’s words in his head, and swallowed hard. Jem sat down next to him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

“I feel your sorrow.” 

“It’s nothing,” Magus said softly, pulling the corner of his mouth up with astronomical effort. “Thank you for coming.”

“You forget that I knew you when you were at your most vulnerable, Magnus. I know what heartache looks like on your face.”

Magnus looked at Jem’s face, serene and runed. Jem offered him a wise, reassuring smile. “The situation at the New York Institute at the moment is reminding me of days gone by, days that I’d rather forget. It’ll be alright.” His eyes caught on the scrolls in Jem’s hand. “What have you found?”

“The possession of virtuous mundanes is part of many demonic rituals,” Jem explained telepathically, each word gentle and measured. “What will matter is the number of mundanes that Lilith will take. Three, seven, nine, thirteen, twenty-five, thirty-three, sixty-six, ninety-nine and six hundred and sixty six are possibilities.”

“Six-hundred and sixty-six?” Magnus’ eyes widened. That would be the biggest demonic mass-murder in centuries. 

“That particular ritual is in order to open the gates of heaven,” Jem told him, “and if that were Lilith’s plan, there would have been warnings for years before.”

“So what do you think is happening?” Magnus asked. 

Jem pressed his lips into a line. “I’m sorry, my friend, but it is impossible to guess with the limited information we currently have. However, I have written out the possible rituals on this scroll,” he handed over the scroll to Magnus. “I’m afraid this is all the help I can offer you. If my presence in Alexandria is missed, I will face severe punishment.” 

“I understand,” Magnus assured him, “thank you for coming.”

Jem squeezed his shoulder gently. “I will always come when you call, my friend.”

Magnus appreciated that more than he could put into words. “Go,” he said softly, “before you get into trouble.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Since the Seelie Queen had revealed what she’d done to Simon, Alec and Izzy sent for Raj and Simon to return to New York first thing the next morning. “I’ll see you soon, yeah?” Simon checked when they arrived back in New York. 

Raj nodded, the stress of the situation in the Institute creeping in on him now that they’d left that corner of Boston’s library. The time he and Simon had spent fooling around in the stacks had left him feeling relaxed and relieved, but he didn’t have the time to feel relaxed now; there was too much going on. “I’ll call you when I’ve got a minute, okay?” 

“Yeah, no worries.” Simon assured him, “I know a booty call isn’t high on your list of priorities right now.”

“You’re good with this?” Raj checked for the fourth time, and Simon grinned, shrugging one shoulder.

“I’m so, so good with this.” 

Raj snorted. “Okay good. See you.” 

Simon darted off with his vamp speed and Raj turned to go inside the Institute, consciously shifting back into work mode as he saw the focus in the ops centre. Alec was in the midst of it, delivering missions and orders. When he caught sight of his Head of Intelligence, he tapped Aline on the shoulder and gestured for her to follow him. 

“In my office,” Alec murmured as Raj intercepted them, and together the three shadowhunters headed down the corridor. All of them were quiet until Alec was sat behind his desk and Raj had shut the office door behind them. “We have confirmation that Hope’s intel about Project Heavenly Fire is true.”

“Shit,” Raj hissed. He’d known that the Clave weren’t above it, but he’d hoped that the reports were exaggerated. “So… We’re going to war, then?” 

“We have to,” Aline said quietly, “my Mom doesn’t see anything wrong with it. She genuinely thinks that the downworlders want to be turned mundane.”

Alec shook his head. “Maybe some might, but that choice should be left to them. And the fact that this experiment was done with kidnapped downworlders rather than those who expressed consent… It’s unacceptable.” He sat back in his seat, looking at Aline and Raj in turn. “However…”

“However?” Raj pressed when Alec was silent for a moment. 

“We have to try diplomacy first.” Alec said slowly. “Because it’s all well and good the three of us deciding to start a war, but we haven’t asked the downworlders what they want. Maybe they don’t want a war. We need to ask them what they want to do. After all, it’s their people on the line here.”

“Diplomacy won’t work and you know it,” Aline insisted, “nothing will convince my Mom that she’s wrong.”

“You might be right,” Alec nodded, “and I assumed that the downworlders would want blood like we do, but they’re different to us. They weren’t born to be soldiers, they weren’t groomed from childhood to slaughter anyone who’s different than them. We need to let them lead us if we want a society that values them as much as it’s valued us.”

“Magnus reacted differently to how you expected,” Raj guessed, and Alec looked away. 

“This isn’t about Magnus. But yes, his reaction made me second-guess my immediate response. I will consult the downworld council. They will vote on what our next move is.” 

“And if they vote to bring down the Clave?” Aline asked.

“Then we hunt every last shadowhunter who okayed this experiment and eliminate them,” Alec said, his face steely. It made the hairs on the back of Aline’s neck stand up. He meant it, she knew that. Nothing would stop him. She squared her shoulders, pushing aside the fear for her mother and nodding strongly. 

“Let’s do it,” she said.


	4. Episode 4: Thy Soul Instructed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! First of all I'm so sorry for the wait! Life's been so hectic for me lately. I had a lot of work to do getting ready to do my masters' degree in September, and then I went and injured my foot/ankle so I haven't been able to sit at my desk. I hope this chapter is worth the wait! I've basically crammed the main plot from 3.04 to 3.09 into this one chapter, so a lot happens! I'm just trying to get past the 3A plot so I can get to the original plot, which I hope you'll all like!
> 
> This is a very heavy chapter in terms of racism. I've tried to make the trigger warnings as detailed as possible, but this chapter is saturated with it because it's dealing with the reactions to the Clave's racist experiments. Trust me when I say the consequences for the Clave's racism will be huge. 
> 
> Trigger warnings:
> 
> Murder mention: Luke mentions the murder of Ollie’s Mom, but doesn’t describe it in detail past the fact that she was strangled.
> 
> Eugenics/racism in the extreme: The storyline surrounding the Clave’s experiments continues. Alec meets with the downworld leaders to tell them about the experiments, and shows them photographic evidence after asking if they’d like to see it. The photographs are not described. Raphael expresses interest in the possibility of reversing vampirism, but recognises that the experiments on non-consenting downworlders need to stop. Some of the downworld leaders call for war, and others for diplomacy. Alec attempts to tell Lorenzo that his plan to petition the Clave won’t work but Lorenzo insists that he listen. Alec defers to Lorenzo after a moment to check his ego. Near the end of the chapter, Iris talks about being kept alive only for her talents to be used to bring back Valentine, which is of course a form of racist psychological torture in itself. Valentine is brought back from the dead and says that downworlders are corrupted by ‘filth’.
> 
> Scary atmosphere: Idk how else to phrase this, but there’s a supremely creepy part with Simon and Luke in an abandoned department store.
> 
> Police/police adjacent brutality: Clary is arrested by Clave guards, and is kicked down onto her stomach.
> 
> Misogyny: Alec allows Clary to sacrifice herself to let them escape, and Izzy calls him out on it, pointing out that he never would’ve done that to Magnus. Simon and Luke are also lowkey pissed off with Alec for leaving Clary behind. Alec realises when he hears about Clary’s death sentence that he made a mistake.
> 
> Unhealthy/traumatic/difficult maternal relationships: Aline has a one on one conversation with Jia and it doesn’t go well. She argues with Jia about the religious aspect of the Clave and Jia is homophobic towards her in that she tells Aline that she’s delusional for thinking that what she and Helen have is love.
> 
> Homophobia/lesbophobia: Izzy, Clary and Aline are all on the receiving end of passive homophobic comments by the Clave - part of Clary’s ‘crime’ is that she used the wish to ‘continue her illicit affair’ with another woman. Jia tells Aline that she’s delusional for thinking that Helen are her are in love.
> 
> Threat: As in canon, Clary is sentenced to death. As in canon, she escapes it. Jia threatens to have Clary’s tongue cut out.
> 
> Depiction of a corpse: Valentine is brought back from the dead. The smell is referred to, as is his grey, mottled skin and his blood-stained clothes.
> 
> Anti-religious sentiment/blasphemy: Aline is resentful and dismissive of Jia’s religious beliefs, though it’s unclear whether Jia actually believes it or whether she’s just using the religious establishment to enable her violent racism and her hatred for Clary. Additionally, Clary goes against the will of the angels to bring Valentine back from the dead. 
> 
> Gore: Depiction of Valentine with a crossbow bolt shot into his head and not dying, as in canon. I tried not to make it too detailed.
> 
> Ableist language: Jia uses the word 'idiot'
> 
> Transphobia: Very very subtle insinuation from Jia that Alec’s transness is a ‘failing’ that he’s trying to overcompensate for.

“Is there a particular reason why you summoned us to the Institute at this hour?” Lorenzo demanded as he stepped into the conference room. “Our next meeting is not for another three days.”

“What trouble have you gotten yourself into this time, shadowhunter?” Meliorn asked scornfully, taking a seat to Alec’s left.

“We should wait for Raphael and Luke,” Alec said, nervously tapping his fingers on the table. Lorenzo immediately spotted it, and he arched an eyebrow in Alec’s direction. 

“If there is an emergency, I demand you tell us now.” He insisted.

Luckily for Alec, Luke appeared, walking through the doorway looking tense. “Any news on Ollie?” He asked, and Luke nodded.

“Her mother… When I went to check on her a couple of days ago, she said she couldn’t leave the city because she had an important hospital appointment. I posted cops outside but… She was found dead inside the apartment this morning. Ollie’s prints on the cord used to strangle her.” Luke explained, taking his seat at Alec’s right.

“I’m sorry.” Alec murmured.

“We caught her on CCTV, the guys at the station are trying to track her. Hopefully she’ll lead us to Lilith.” 

“Lilith?” Lorenzo asked, tilting his head like he wasn’t sure if he’d heard Luke correctly. “Lilith is on this plane?!”

“Lilith is being dealt with,” Meliorn said casually.

“That… Was one of the things that I wanted to discuss.” Alec replied, nodding at Raphael as he walked into the conference room. “Now that we’re all here… Yes. Lilith is currently on Earth. We are working to pinpoint her location. Luckily, the seelies have already put a defense in place. Meliorn, if you’d explain the Queen’s strategy…”

“The seelies are sworn enemies of Lilith, and as such, we have knowledge of a ritual that can be used to fashion a weapon against her. It needs a daylighter, and fortunately, we were aware of a daylighter in New York.” Meliorn assured them, “Simon Lewis can and will single-handedly banish Lilith back to Edom.”

“Lilith was behind the warlocks losing control of their magic,” Alec pointed out to Lorenzo, who looked suspicious. 

“Our priority has to be the mundanes that Lilith has possessed,” Luke said.

“The mundanes are not my concern,” Raphael muttered, “I am not a shadowhunter. I need to know that Lilith is not a threat to my people.”

“She is not,” Meliorn said dismissively.

“Then I struggle to understand why I’m here,” Raphael returned, looking at Alec.

“I concur,” Lorenzo said, “this is hardly worth an emergency meeting, if this Simon Lewis has the situation under control.”

“He is just one teenager, he does not have the situation under control,” Luke snapped, “he’s no fighter.”

“He does not need to be, with the Mark of Cain on his forehead,” Meliorn looked about as relaxed as Alec had ever seen him.

“Lilith is not the reason why I called this meeting,” Alec announced, gathering himself as the other four men looked at him with varying degrees of curiosity, concern and irritation. He took a deep breath, and laid his hands out flat on the table. “I have discovered that the Clave are conducting despicable experiments on downworlders in Alicante.” 

The room was stunned silent for a heavy moment. Lorenzo was staring at Alec, suspicion on his face slowly giving way to horror. Raphael was looking at Alec’s hands on the table, his eyebrows furrowed. Luke’s head was tilted to the side, his face graver than Alec had ever seen it. Meliorn had leaned forward, his lips slightly parted in what Alec assumed was the closest that Meliorn ever got to shock. 

“I first heard the allegations yesterday morning,” Alec began, wanting to be as transparent as possible. “I immediately sent two of my best people to Alicante to find evidence of these experiments. They succeeded. We now hold photographic evidence that the Clave are holding downworlders in laboratories under Alicante. I have them on my iPad if any of you want to see them-”

“Show me.” Luke demanded, and Alec reached for his iPad, unlocking it and turning the iPad so the pictures faced Luke. “What do these experiments entail?” 

“It’s our understanding that the Clave are attempting to find a way to turn vampires and werewolves back into mundanes. We suspect that if they find a way to achieve this, experiments on warlocks and seelies will follow.” Alec answered. “I’m ashamed to say,” he tried to keep the emotion out of his voice, but he was angry too. “I’m ashamed to say that this experiment is being done with the blessing of the Consul. The Clave are not only allowing these experiments to take place… They are funding them.” 

“There’s a way to cure vampirism?” Raphael asked, meeting Alec’s eyes.

“I don’t know,” Alec admitted, “we don’t know how successful these experiments have been or what’s being done.”

Raphael nodded, his face thoughtful. 

“We cannot allow this to stand,” Lorenzo insisted, “something must be done.” 

“I agree,” Alec told him, “but I didn’t want to make any moves before informing the downworld of the situation. It’s my opinion that we should come together and bring down the Clave once and for all, because this… It is a betrayal of the Accords and it’s a precursor to genocide. Personally speaking, I want to see the bastards burn.” 

“Alec, what you propose is treason,” Luke pointed out, “you’d be executed if the Clave knew you were saying this.” 

“I know.”

“I will have to consult the Queen to get her opinion,” Meliorn said, “this is… Unprecedented.”

“This is madness, Alec, you can’t be serious. We can’t go up against the Clave.” Luke insisted, “they’re too powerful.” 

“Shadowhunter numbers fall year on year while downworlder numbers grow,” Alec reminded them, “if it came to a fight, downworlders would outnumber Clave shadowhunters five or six to one.” 

“But we’re not all warriors,” Lorenzo returned, “not all downworlders can and will fight. We need to plan our next moves very carefully.”

“You’re right, Lorenzo,” Alec agreed. “I am not suggesting we storm Alicante right this second. Rather, I want the four of you to go away and consider our options.”

“What if some of us want a cure?” Raphael piped up. “I know a lot of vampires who would go back to mundane lives if they could.”

“That’s their choice,” Alec assured him, “but what the Clave are doing isn’t choice, Raphael. The downworlders being held are there against their will, and if the Clave are willing to do that, then it’s not too much of a stretch to assume that if they found a serum to turn vampires and werewolves mundane, they’d roll that out forcibly too.”

Raphael nodded. “True. Is it possible that we can do this diplomatically? Tell the Clave that they could continue the experiments with consenting parties?” 

Alec hesitated. “We could try.”

“That’s a waste of time,” Meliorn argued, “Alec is right, the Clave cannot be allowed to think that experimentation on downworlders is something that we are going to tolerate.”

“What happened to talking to the Queen?” Luke asked.

Meliorn narrowed his eyes at Luke. “I have known the Queen for hundreds of years. I know that she will not allow the Clave to continue these experiments.”

Alec had to admit, he was surprised to hear that. The Seelie Queen generally didn’t concern herself with issues that only affected other factions of the downworld. “So we are agreed? All of you will consult with your people to decide our next move?”

“I think so,” Lorenzo answered, “but in the meantime, I feel that you need to do what you can to petition through Clave avenues to end these experiments.”

“I don’t think that will work, Lorenzo-”

“Listen to me,” Lorenzo insisted sharply, and Alec relented, reminding himself that he had to allow the downworlders to guide him.

“I’m sorry. Continue, please.” 

“If you petition through the proper procedures, the Clave will assume that that is your move. Presumably in the course of procuring the evidence you have, the Clave has realised that you know about their experiments.”

Alec nodded, “they do.”

“Then you need to make sure that they don’t suspect that we are having this conversation. Act as though you intend to fix this issue using the system already in place.” Lorenzo told him.

“That makes sense,” Alec admitted, “thank you.”

“If the Clave thinks that you are going to play by their rules, then their guard will stay down. And then if we need to strike, they won’t be prepared for it.” Lorenzo finished.

Raphael was looking at Lorenzo with disgruntled agreement. “Makes sense that you’d be well versed in political warfare.” 

Lorenzo smiled tightly. “I don’t think you’re in a position to begrudge me that, Mr Santiago.”

“Stop it,” Luke snapped as Raphael went to open his mouth. “I know that you’d rather Magnus be here, Raphael, but Lorenzo is the person that the warlocks chose. And his… Expertise…” It was clear that the word wasn’t the one that Luke really wanted to use, “will be useful in the coming days.”

“Agreed,” Alec murmured, “all of you will be instrumental in what we need to do. So I will petition the Clave while the four of you decide what must be done. We’ll meet in three days for a follow-up.”

“Look, I know that this is important,” Luke put his hand out to stop Alec from getting up, “but we can’t just allow Lilith to run around possessing mundanes, either.” 

“We’re working on tracking Lilith as we speak,” Alec assured him, “once we have her location, we will use Simon to blast her back to Edom.”

“And how are you planning to hold her while you get Simon in position?” Meliorn asked, “she is obscenely powerful.”

Alec shrugged. “Izzy’s working on it.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“I have a theory that I’m working on,” Izzy promised Alec when he swung by her workshop a little later, “I’ll hopefully know if it’s going to work by the end of the day.” 

Alec nodded. “Good. We need to deal with Lilith as quickly as possible.”

“How did the downworld leaders take it?” She asked grimly.

“As good as could be expected,” Alec told her, “none of them panicked. I think they appreciated that I told them as soon as I found out. They’re not used to shadowhunters being so open and honest.” 

Izzy hummed, her eyes dropping to the shards of adamas she was trying to charge with electricity. “Honesty’s important.”

“Well, yeah,” Alec said slowly, his eyebrows furrowing. “Everything okay?” 

“No,” Izzy admitted, biting her lower lip. “I have something to tell you.”

Dread welled up in Alec. “There’s not a third emergency I have to worry about, is there?” 

Izzy huffed softly, her shoulders easing. “No. No… It’s about Lake Lyn. The truth is, you were right. I did… Die.” 

“I knew it.”

“Clary… She…” Izzy looked up at him, hoping that he’d put it together so that she wouldn’t have to say it. 

Alec sighed. “She used Raziel’s wish, didn’t she?” 

“It was… It was more than that. Originally she died, Valentine got her, right in the heart. She didn’t have a chance, and… I don’t know, when I saw her there…” The memory of Clary lying lifelessly in her arms had tears gathering in her eyes, and Alec gave her a hug. “Something happened,” she said into his shoulder, “I turned back time somehow, like I’d pushed rewind on a VHS. My angelic powers. And somehow I knew that her death had to be replaced, I don’t know, I just felt it. So I stepped in front of the knife.”

“Iz,” Alec sniffed, squeezing her tightly. “I felt it. I felt your soul leave mine.”

“I’m sorry,” Izzy pulled back, “I just couldn’t… I didn’t have a choice.”

Alec swallowed hard. “I’d have done the same thing. If it was Magnus…”

Izzy nodded. “I didn’t think she’d use the wish. I’m not sure I wanted her to, but… Well, she did. And I just couldn’t go through this, I couldn’t risk losing you to this war we’re beginning without telling you the truth.”

“Why does everyone think I’m gonna die?” Alec teased, “I’m starting to think you’re all underestimating how fucking stubborn I am. I just got everything I wanted, my body, my boyfriend… No bigot is going to take it from me.”

Izzy hugged him again, a feeling of relief deep in her gut. Alec was going to be okay, she believed that. “I love you, big brother.” 

Alec hummed, squeezing her back. “I love you too.” He was about to bring up what had happened with Maryse, but his watch beeped to remind him about the senior staff meeting. “Come on, let’s go and catch Aline and Raj up.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Seems like you were right to ask for their opinions,” Aline said once Alec had explained what had been discussed in the downworld cabinet the evening before.

“They all know even better than we do how the Clave deal with rebellion. I don’t blame them for being cautious, they have a lot to lose.” Izzy pointed out, “but Lorenzo’s idea was smart. We should petition them through official channels. It’ll also publicise what’s going on, and it might mean more shadowhunter allies for us.”

“Aldertree seemed to think that the downworlders winning was a sure thing,” Aline told them, shaking her head. “I feel like he knows something we don’t.”

“With Lilith on the loose I think we need to prioritise finding her rather than Aldertree,” Raj said, “Luke was right, we need to protect the mundanes of New York too.”

“Agreed,” Alec nodded. “Good thing there’s four of us with a whole Institute of staff at our disposal. I think that Aline, you should go with Izzy to Alicante and begin proceedings. Raj and I will focus on Lilith, try and figure out where she is with Luke, and join you later.” 

Aline looked a little unsure, and Alec gave her an encouraging smile.

“You can do this. You know Alicante better than any of us.”

“We won’t face the Consul for at least a few days, the red tape alone will take us a while to work through,” Izzy reminded her gently.

“I just don’t know if I’d be able to keep it professional right now, if I had to face her in court.” Aline admitted.

“That’s more than understandable. I should be there in time for that.” Alec promised, “I wouldn’t make you fight your Mom like that.”

“We’re all here for you, Ale,” Raj added, and Aline breathed sharply in through her nose, straightening up a bit. 

“Okay, yeah, let’s go and ruffle some feathers.” She said decisively, and the others all smiled at her. “How are you going to track Lilith?” 

“Hopefully we’ll be able to figure out what Lilith’s plans are through Morgan,” Raj said, “she’s still possessed, and we think possibly hive-minded to Lilith. There could be a way to elicit Lilith’s plan from her.”

“And we’re hoping to find a way to break Lilith’s grasp on her. Magnus is booked in for an appointment to take a look at her this morning.”

Izzy smiled. “Sure is easier now Magnus is open for consultations, huh?”

“It is, but he’s costing us an arm and a leg,” Alec groaned, scratching the back of his neck. 

Aline snorted, and Raj grinned. 

“I love that he’s charging you.” Raj chuckled.

“I don’t,” Alec sighed, half-joking, and everyone laughed. It felt good to hear his team semi-relaxed, and Alec just hoped he could keep morale up for as long as possible.

~~~~~~~~~~

Simon was fumbling with his keys outside the Hotel DuMort when Luke swung by. He’d taken to staying away during the night; news had spread of his Mark of Cain, and if the vampires hadn’t worshipped him before, they certainly did now. Simon wasn’t sure what else to do other than stay away while the vampires were awake. Raphael’s sister was sick, and he couldn’t assert his dominance like he usually did when the vampires started trying to project Simon into the role of leader. No matter how much he told them, the vampires wouldn’t hear him when he told them that he didn’t want to be their leader.

Luckily now he had Raj to keep his nights busy. Raj’s shift usually started just after sunrise, so it worked out well. Not only did Simon avoid the attention of the vampires, he was having some of the best sex of his life, and he’d only been sleeping with Raj for a few days. 

“Hey, Simon,” Luke greeted him as he got out of the car, and Simon hurriedly put any thoughts of Raj out of his mind. “Everything good here?”

“Uhhh… Kinda. I’ve found a way to deal with it.” Simon shrugged, giving up on unlocking the door. Presumably Luke needed him for something, anyway. “What’s up?” 

“Did Alec catch you up on the situation with Lilith?” Luke asked, and Simon couldn’t help but notice that he was making the exact same expression that he had the day that he had to tell him and Clary that his dog Terry had died. 

Simon pushed his sleeves up his arms nervously, his hands settling on his hips. “Uhhh… You mean the whole ‘I’m the only one that can defeat her’ thing? Yeah, Raj told me before we came back.”

Luke nodded. “You… Doing okay with it?” 

“Trying not to think about it, honestly.” 

“That’s fair,” Luke acknowledged, “but we need you, Simon. I have a couple of places that I think Lilith might be, and I need you to come along as back-up.”

Simon didn’t like the idea of that, but he also wasn’t a fan of the thought of Luke going after Lilith on his own. “Uhhh… Sure. Sure, yeah, I mean… She can’t actually touch me, right?”

“Right,” Luke promised him, “she possessed three other mundanes in the last 12 hours, taking the total up to six. Bodies are dropping fast, we need to find her.”

“I always wanted to come along with you on missions when I was a kid,” Simon muttered, “now I’d rather be doing literally anything else.”

“You’re going to be fine, Simon. She can’t hurt you.” 

“But I could hurt one of the mundanes, or you, if you get in the way of this thing.” Simon pointed out, folding his arms. 

“Which is why I will be staying behind you,” Luke teased, patting his shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. “You’ve got this, Simon.”

Simon pursed his lips and looked at the car, nodding jerkily. “Yeah, okay, okay. Let’s go.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“I disgree,” Ragnor said simply.

“If they’re keeping downworlders under Alicante for experimentation then the demon blood repelling wards must be off. Those towers must just be there for show,” Magnus insisted.

“We don’t know how those towers work, Junior. They could just repel demon blood from the border itself. That would mean that downworlders inside Alicante could be stopped from crossing that line to leave.” Ragnor explained.

Magnus considered it. “I suppose that’s possible,” he allowed. “Do you think Izzy could tell us?” 

“Possibly, though I doubt the Clave are making her privy to such sensitive security information, with her record of helping downworlders.” 

“True,” Magnus sighed, looking at the map of Alicante that Ragnor had conjured for them. Ragnor was one of the few downworlders who’d worked in Idris, though the Academy was outside the Alicante anti-demon blood ward towers. “So we have to rely on the shadowhunter force to take them down.”

Ragnor looked at the map hard. “I think that these towers could be overloaded if we were able to pour enough magic into them.”

“How much magic?” 

“More than any one warlock possesses,” Ragnor mused, “but if we had, say, thirteen warlocks give their magic to one temporarily, it could do it.”

Magnus nodded, though he knew that Lorenzo would never allow that, not unless he was the one who was hosting the magic. And both Magnus and Ragnor knew that Lorenzo wasn’t powerful enough to wield that kind of power. “Could a greater demon do it?” 

“Of course, in theory,” Ragnor shrugged, his eyebrows furrowing after a moment to think about it. “You’re not thinking of trying to use Lilith, are you?” 

“No, of course not,” Magnus assured him. 

Asmodeus, though, was a possibility. Magnus could use his magic, that much he remembered from his childhood. Magnus remembered how powerful he’d been in Edom, siphoning magic from his birthright. If he could convince Asmodeus to allow him to use their demonic magic on this plane, Magnus would be able to overload those ward towers and allow a downworlder army to storm Alicante.

Ragnor was eyeing Magnus with more than a little suspicion. Before he could air his worries, though, the two of them heard the front door open. Magnus called out in greeting as Cat took off her coat at the door. 

“What are you up to?” Cat asked, sounding a little breathless. Magnus swivelled to look at her, curiosity piqued. 

“Planning an assault on the Clave,” he answered, “are you… high?” 

Cat snorted, perching on the dining table where Ragnor and Magnus had laid out the map. Her foot bounced up and down, restless where she was usually calm. “What, no! Why would you think that?” 

“You do seem…” Ragnor scrutinised her, “manic.”

“Do I?” She did feel twitchy, too excited to sit still, her fingers tapping impatiently on her thigh. She couldn’t keep the grin off her face any longer. The Clave could wait, she was too happy. “I have news.”

Magnus and Ragnor glanced at each other, before looking back at her. 

“I’m going to ask Dot to marry me.” She announced, butterflies swooping in her stomach at the relief of finally being able to say it out loud. 

“Really?” Magnus asked, his eyes lighting up as he came around the table to hug her. “Oh, I’m so happy for you! That’s wonderful!”

Cat felt herself choking up, pressing her cheek into Magnus’ neck. “I know,” she squeaked, squeezing him hard in the hopes that it would keep the tears at bay. 

Once Magnus let her go, Ragnor hugged her, rubbing her back in that paternal way he always had, and Cat sniffed hard. “Ah, I’m so glad,” he murmured, “you’ve deserved this happiness for a very long time, Catarina.”

“Shut up,” Cat urged, pulling away to wipe at the waterline of her eye. “You know I hate to cry.” 

Magnus and Ragnor were both gazing at her with wistful happiness, and she sighed, reaching out a hand to both of them. Each took one and squeezed, and the three of them moved into a group hug that lasted a long time.

~~~~~~~~~~

Try as he might, Alec couldn’t get through to Morgan. She was clearly possessed, her head held at a strange angle, slightly craned like she was waiting to sprout wings and take off. The only words she said, over and over again, was-

“I have to get to Sarah!” 

“You mentioned,” Alec sighed, relieved when he noticed Raj stepping out of the elevator. “What have you got?”

“Sarah is her twin sister,” Raj told him, handing Alec a folder of intelligence he’d managed to gather on Morgan from her social media profiles. “She confirms our theory that Lilith’s after virtuous mundanes, forcing them to kill who they love most.”

Alec frowned when he got to the page detailing the results of the blood tests they’d run on Morgan when she was still unconscious. “What are these readings? I’ve never seen mundane blood like this.”

“Yeah, that’s where shit gets weird. Her cells aren’t mundane anymore, they’re demonic. She’s been possessed on a molecular level, this isn’t just a case of an exorcism. She is a part of Lilith now.” Raj explained, “it seems like we’ve discovered how the first demons were created.”

“Jesus,” Alec whispered, glancing up from the folder to look at Morgan. “Alright… Can you research warlocks with specialties in demonic magic or greater demons? We’re going to need a specialist here.”

“Magnus busy?” Raj asked, and Alec shook his head.

“No, but he doesn’t know the specifics about this kind of magic,” Alec murmured, “I already asked him about it.”

Raj was surprised to hear that there was a kind of magic that Magnus wasn’t familiar with, but he nodded. “I’ll get on it right away. It might take some time.”

“That’s alright,” Alec assured him, “actually I was hoping you’d stay behind when I go to Alicante. I need someone I trust here just in case-”

“If you get yourself arrested I am going to break into the Gard and kick your ass,” Raj insisted, taking Morgan’s folder from him. “You’d better be careful.”

Alec huffed out a laugh. “That’s not what I was going to say. I was going to say that the Clave might send an Inquisitor to try to find a reason to take my title away. I need you here to run damage control, just in case.”

“Right,” Raj replied, relief on his face. “I can do that. Good luck, man.”

“Make sure to keep someone watching these cameras every second,” Alec reminded him as they walked towards the elevator, “Tim Dempsey changed into a flying demon at a moment’s notice, we need to make sure Morgan is monitored.”

~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn’t until he and Simon visited the fourth location on his list that Luke felt close to a breakthrough. The abandoned department store had been on Luke’s list because it was the last known location of Ollie’s cellphone; Luke had thought it was a long shot, that Lilith would be smarter than that, but apparently she didn’t know much about human technology. The moment Luke stepped out of the car, he could feel that there was something amiss. The hairs on his arms stood on end as the oppressive silence washed over he and Simon.

New York City was never silent. 

“Oh shit, she’s here, isn’t she?” Simon breathed, stepping closer to Luke as if for protection. 

Luke swallowed hard, looking up at the department store. He couldn’t see any bodies on the sidewalk, but it was eerie, how there were no mundanes. As he looked around, he noticed one mundane hurrying across the road down the block, face turned away from the department store like it was magnetically repelled from the place.

“I think so,” Luke muttered, wary of breaking the silence. “Let’s take a look.”

“Don’t you think we should call for backup?” Simon asked, not making a move to follow Luke inside. 

“Simon, nothing can hurt you. You’re going to be fine.” Luke promised.

It was clear that Simon didn’t want to go inside, but after a moment to look up at the run-down building, he hurried along at Luke’s side, wringing his hands. “What are we gonna do if we run into the possessed mundanes? I could kill them on accident.”

“Hopefully they’ll have the good sense not to attack you.”

“Okay. Okay, you know, this is just like those movies. There’s gonna be a jumpscare any minute, I can feel it.” Simon whispered, his voice echoing back to them in the empty shop. There were no clothes here, but the racks and naked mannequins remained, the air still and stale. 

“This isn’t a movie, Simon, the monsters don’t jump out at you in real life. Focus. Just keep telling yourself if something scares you, it’ll be scrambled against the wall a mili-second later.” Luke patted his back, eyes scanning the shop floor.

“I’m not scared of getting hurt, I’m scared of getting scared. Do you have any idea how vivid my nightmares are?”

Luke smiled slightly. “Actually yes, I remember that slumber party you and Clary had at mine when you were a kid.”

“Exactly,” Simon muttered, a shiver running down his spine at the memory of the recurring nightmare where a shark grew legs and started chasing him around the city. He sensed movement to their left, and his head snapped around to see two mundanes walking purposefully towards the two of them. Simon elbowed Luke in the ribs.

“I see them,” Luke murmured, “stay calm.”

Luke recognised one of the mundanes from his case files, but the other wasn’t familiar. Apparently Lilith had taken more people than they’d realised. He carefully raised his hands as the mundanes stopped a few feet from them. Simon copied him, glancing nervously between the mundanes and Luke. 

“Take us to your leader,” Simon tried, and Luke sighed. 

The two mundanes tilted their heads to the side, like vultures looking at a near-dead animal, biding their time. “You have not been touched,” one of them said, a woman about Alec’s age. 

“We don’t want to hurt you,” Luke told her, “we just want to help.”

“You cannot help,” the other mundane responded, the one Luke recognised. 

“Johnny Alarcon,” Luke said calmly, “that’s your name, isn’t it? Your family are looking for you.”

“I am with my family,” Johnny replied, his voice as sure as the sun. 

Luke’s eyebrows furrowed. It seemed that the possessed mundanes genuinely believed that they belonged with Lilith. “What about your father? What happened to him?”

“He was sacrificed.”

“For what?” Simon blurted out.

“Our brother.” The other mundane answered, “and you will be sacrificed too.”

Johnny seemed to agree, stepping forward, his eyes fixed on Simon. “You are virtuous.” 

“Uhhh…” Simon stepped backwards, and Luke hurried to stay behind him. “You don’t want to do this, man, this is gonna end badly for you.”

“He’s a vampire, he’s of no use to you,” Luke insisted, tension coiling inside him the closer the possessed mundanes got. 

The moment that the unnamed mundane reached to grab Simon, the mark of Cain boomed, a shock wave emanating from Simon, sending the two mundanes flying backwards. The two of them exploded into millions of tiny pieces, and as the pieces fell to the ground, Luke realised that they’d turned to salt. Before the two of them could collect themselves, they heard a screech so loud that their hands flew to their ears, the ground shaking underneath them. 

As Luke looked around, he caught sight of Ollie near the stairs, but before he could call out to her, she was gone. 

“Come on,” Luke took off after her, but her demonic speed was too fast. Simon was too shocked to use his own supernatural speed, so by the time they reached the stairwell, the rest of the building had gone. As they opened the door, they were greeted not with a flight of stairs but by the open, grey sky. 

“What the hell?!” Simon gasped, and Luke shook his head. He’d never seen magic like it. 

“Dammit,” he hissed, running his hand over his hair. 

~~~~~~~~~~

“Izzy and Clary are sorting out the paperwork down the hall. They’re trying to squeeze out of us where we learned about Project Heavenly Fire, the two of them have had to fake a story about stumbling across the files accidentally. Meanwhile, we’ve been fast-tracked,” Aline told Alec when they met in Alicante, “they told us that the Consul would meet with us to discuss our concerns today.”

“Today?” Alec repeated, and Aline nodded, her eyes fearful. “Well… They must be rattled.”

“I don’t know if this was a good idea, Alec. If they throw you in prison-”

“For what?” Alec put his hands on her shoulders, squeezing gently. “I’ve done nothing wrong. As the Head of the Institute, I am allowed to challenge the Clave on policies I feel will have an adverse effect on my ability to do my job. I’m inside the law. It’s going to be alright.” 

“We both know that the Clave are capable of imprisoning people indiscriminately.” Aline whispered.

Alec shrugged. “And if they do, they just draw more attention to the reason why I’m imprisoned. I don’t think they’ll risk it.”

“That’s true,” Aline admitted. “You taking the lead here?” 

“If you want to do this I won’t step on your feet.”

“No, no, I’d rather you confront my Mom. I can’t detach myself emotionally right now.” Aline glanced over at the team of shadowhunter diplomats hanging around the corridor, waiting to have their cases read by the preliminary Clave panel. 

“Alright, I get it. I don’t know that I could do it if my Dad was the Consul.” Alec nodded. He straightened up a little when he spotted Jia’s assistant, Lily Winebrook, walking towards them with a severe look on her face. 

“The Consul will hear your petition now,” she announced, her disapproving gaze flitting over both Alec and Aline. “Which of you is presenting your case?”

“Me,” Alec answered, “though as my Head of Security I insist that Aline be present.”

Winebrook narrowed her eyes a little. “Why would you need a security officer in the heart of Alicante, Mr Lightwood? We are all allies here, are we not?” 

Alec smiled pleasantly, his fingers encircling his wrist behind his back. “Why would you refuse my request for companionship in the heart of Alicante? I hope you weren’t hoping to trap me,” he laughed snottily, as if he and Winebrook were sharing a private joke.

Aline smirked despite herself. People forgot that Alec lived in Alicante until he was nineteen; he knew their ways well. Sure enough, Winebrook gave in. 

“Very well. Mr Lightwood, Miss Penhallow, if you would follow me…”

“And if you could tell Izzy and Clary where we are when they come out, I’d appreciate it,” Alec told Winebrook as they entered Consul Penhallow’s office.

“I’ll have them wait outside,” Winebrook assured him before letting herself out of the office and closing the doors behind her. 

Alec was surprised to see that only Jia was sitting waiting for them. Protocol dictated that there was meant to be a scribe and an Inquisitor present at these hearings. “Consul,” Alec inclined his head politely, “are we waiting for anyone else?” 

“No, we are not,” Jia answered, “I thought it best to keep this conversation between us. I didn’t expect that you would be present, Aline.”

“My superior officer requested my presence and my counsel,” Aline responded coolly, following Alec’s lead. 

Jia’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, before turning back to Alec. “I wish that you would have come directly to me rather than filing an official complaint about this matter. It will, no doubt, stir up… Unpleasant questions.”

“I believe, Consul Penhallow, that you have a duty to the elected Council to be transparent and forthcoming in regards to the science division. In fact, I noticed while reading the constitution earlier today that you aren’t supposed to okay research of this nature without the Council’s approval.” Alec replied.

“I did have the Council’s approval,” Jia said, “though the conversation was struck from the record.”

“Helen didn’t know about it, she wouldn’t have let it happen,” Aline insisted.

“It was after Miss Blackthorn’s departure from the Council.”

“And before you asked me to join, I imagine,” Alec sat down, making himself comfortable. “Which is funny, because the evidence that I have seen demonstrates that downworlders have been held against their will for several months. Remind me, Aline,” he murmured, “when did Miss Blackthorn step down from the Council?” 

“Three weeks ago,” Aline answered.

“So you can see how I’m confused, Consul.”

Jia raised her chin. “We found it necessary to spare Miss Blackthorn from the vote, considering her-”

“So you admit that you ducked protocol?” Alec interrupted her.

“I wrote protocol, Mr Lightwood.” 

“Then you’d think you’d know how to follow it.”

“I would suggest you watch your tone.” Jia said icily, but Alec wasn’t having it.

“I’m sorry, Consul, I’m simply following due process. The Clave is meant to be democratic, isn’t it? I’m simply exercising my rights as a citizen to ask for a little transparency regarding the science division.” Alec shrugged, crossing his legs. “I would like to know why the wider community hasn’t been told of these experiments that you described as ‘promising’ in your meeting with Aline and Clary.”

“They’re classified,” Jia told them, “for security purposes.”

Alec tilted his head. “But why? If you believe that they’re in the best interests of the downworld, that the downworld community would be relieved to be offered such a serum, why is it such a closely guarded secret?”

“The downworld community has been known to overreact to things like this,” Jia answered, “we did not want to cause unrest.”

“You’re worried they’d overreact to news that downworlders are being held against their will and experimented on, stripped of their downworlder identities?” Alec hummed, tamping down on his thundering heart, trying to rein in the anger that was welling in his chest. “So you know that the downworld community would not react well to this news… That the majority of them would reject the idea of a serum.”

“But some would be relieved.” Jia pointed out.

“So why did you not send out a call for interested downworlders to sign up for these experiments? If the interest is there, why hide it?” 

Jia opened her mouth to answer, but Alec got to his feet, leaning on her desk so he was towering over her.

“I already know the answer, Consul. The side effects of this experiment have been horrific and you know that no downworlder would consent to such a dangerous, irresponsible experiment. So you kidnapped innocent downworlders and forcibly used their bodies to develop a serum that you know damn well the majority of downworlders will be staunchly against.”

“This is precisely why the knowledge could not be made public,” Jia gritted out, getting to her feet as well. “Because you and your self-righteous band of progressives would whip the downworld into a frenzy and cause chaos. I have known men like you, Alexander Lightwood. You would burn the world if it meant that it forgets your failings.”

Alec was quiet for a moment, his jaw clenched hard to keep from losing his temper.

“You know that you are wrong to do this, Mom,” Aline said, “you know it. Stop it, put a stop to it right now. Nobody wants this to escalate. It doesn’t have to go any further than this. Release the downworlders and work with downworld communities to figure out whether this serum is even necessary. Just listen to them, it’s not hard.”

“Do you have any idea how much money we’ve invested in this endeavour? All in an effort to help the downworld communities make informed choices-”

“Would you stop pretending that you care about the downworld?” Alec snapped. “There aren’t any here. It’s just us. No need for appearances, you’re not fooling either of us.”

“I think that it’s best that the two of you leave.”

“Mom, we don’t want to fight any more than you do. Just let the downworlders go, please. They’re down there like prisoners, like animals. You know it’s wrong.” Aline urged, her expression pleading. This was it, she knew, the moment when her Mom sealed her fate. “Please make the right choice.”

Jia didn’t meet Aline’s eyes, looking instead at Alec. “If you cannot toe the line, Mr Lightwood, then perhaps it would be best if you step down from your position. Heads of Institutes need to respect the authority of the Clave. If you cannot do that-”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“That is not your decision.” Jia replied coolly.

Alec’s eyes narrowed. “Try and take the Institute from me. I dare you. Just try it.”

“Alec,” Aline warned, “we should go. This isn’t about you, it’s about the downworlders.”

“You’re right,” Alec acquiesced, “I see we’re getting nowhere here.”

As Aline and Alec turned their backs on the Consul and walked to the door, Jia sat back down in her seat. “Tread carefully, Mr Lightwood,” she said, “you’re entering dangerous territory.”

Alec ignored her, following Aline out into the corridor, where Izzy and Clary were waiting for them. They both looked anxiously between Alec and Aline, and Aline shook her head.

“She’s not backing down,” Aline said quietly.

“We should get out of here,” Clary muttered, “they could be sending guards to arrest us any minute.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Catarina was surprised when Magnus insisted on taking her ring shopping then and there, though perhaps she should have guessed that he’d be eager to distract himself from the mess going on with Alec and the Clave. Regardless, she was glad to have him with her. She knew next to nothing about jewelry; she’d never had much time for that kind of thing. 

“Luckily for you, I remember Dot’s ring size,” Magnus chuckled, squeezing Cat’s shoulder as she looked cluelessly at the sizing rings. “She’s a 7.”

“How the hell do you remember that?” Cat asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Because I remember that her ring finger perfectly fit the rings I use on my little finger,” he shrugged.

Catarina made an ‘ahh’ sound. “That makes sense. For a second I thought-”

“It’s been almost 250 years since Dot and I were an item,” Magnus reminded her, “I may be impressive, but not that impressive.”

“You’re plenty impressive,” Catarina assured him, her eyes roaming over the selection of rings in the cabinet in front of them. “So where do we start? I have no idea what I’m meant to be looking for.”

“Well, you want something good quality, because it’s going to need to last a lot longer than the average mundane engagement ring.” Magnus pointed out, “so the higher the carat the better.”

“True,” Catarina nodded, “and I think she’d like something fairly traditional.”

“Agreed, I think that yellow gold would be best, it matches best with the deep reds and greys that she likes to wear.”

Catarina stepped to the side to look at the gold engagement rings. “Gold with a ruby? Or is red too… Angry?”

“I don’t think any jewel is angry,” Magnus chuckled. “Think about what kind of rings she wears now.”

“I mean… Am I supposed to pay attention to what’s on her fingers?” Cat asked. She was feeling a little unsettled; was she supposed to know how to do this? If she didn’t know what kind of ring Dot would like, should she even be proposing?

Magnus noticed the change in her voice, and put a comforting hand on her back. “It’s alright. Whatever you pick, Dot will be over the moon, because it’s a symbol of your love. I don’t mean to put pressure on you. All that matters is that you’re getting married.”

“No, you’re right, I need a ring that she’s going to want to wear,” Cat sighed, “I’d hate for her to have to transform it into something else, I want to show her that I know her.”

“Cat, you’ve known her for over two centuries,” Magnus reminded her, “it doesn’t matter if you don’t remember the superfluous details, you understand her on a level that nobody else does.”

She looked at him with doubt in her face, and Magnus smiled reassuringly at her. “You think so?”

“Of course I do,” Magnus insisted, “you two have always been there for each other when the rest of us let you down. You were there leading the charge into Edom when I was too cowardly to go after her, you saved her then and you helped her through those weeks after Valentine. You’ve always fought to keep her safe. That means more to her than knowing what her favourite stone is.”

Cat nodded, tilting her head to the side as she took another look at the rings. “You’re right. I don’t know why I’m feeling so nervous, this has been coming for a long time. I know, in my gut, that the two of us are right. I know that. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” 

“I’m not exactly experienced when it comes to marriage and engagements and all that,” Magnus admitted, “but I think nerves and doubt are pretty normal. It’s a big deal to pledge forever, especially for downworlders. Forever is actually possible.”

“Forever with her doesn’t scare me,” Cat shrugged, “forever without her scares me.”

Magnus felt his breath catch. “You should put that in your vows,” he told her, “that’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.”

Cat cracked a smile, glancing at him. “Thank you for being here with me.”

“Always,” Magnus promised, squeezing her shoulder.

~~~~~~~~~~

Alec, Aline, Clary and Izzy had almost reached the portal site when Aline got a fire message. She caught it by going up on her tiptoes, her heart lifting with hope that it was from her mother, changing her mind. The contents disappointed her.

“Inquisitor Herondale compromised and heading to Cemetery of the Disgraced, spoke of a ritual with the mother of demons,” Aline read, clutching Alec’s arm. 

“We have to go get her,” Alec insisted, leading the way towards the Cemetery.

“Why would Lilith need the Inquisitor? She’s not mundane, and she’s not exactly virtuous.” Izzy asked, jogging to keep up with Alec’s long strides. 

“It can’t be good, whatever it is,” Clary said, “we can’t trust the Clave to do shit about it, that much is obvious.”

The four of them broke into a run when they rounded the corner and saw Inquisitor Herondale bent over next to a grave. Alec didn’t have his bow, but Clary gave him one of her daggers, and they approached the Inquisitor from behind, hoping to catch her off guard. When they got within ten foot, the Inquisitor swivelled around, her eyes flat black. 

“Stand down,” Alec ordered, “you’re not getting out of here.”

In the distance, they heard shouting, and the alarms started blaring, making Clary jump out of her skin. 

“That’s the Alicante guards,” Aline warned, “Alec, we have to get out of here. They’re after us.”

“We can’t let this demon finish what it’s trying to do,” Izzy insisted. 

Clary thrust out her hand, sunlight bursting from a fresh rune. Inquisitor Herondale crumpled to the ground, form shimmering and transforming into a red, stringy demon. Aline rushed over to it, and checked that it was alive. She nodded at Alec.

“Go,” Clary urged the other three, etching a portal rune into her other hand, “they have to find someone here or they’ll go straight to New York.” 

“I’m not leaving you,” Izzy insisted.

“We have to,” Alec urged, heaving the demon onto his shoulder. “Izzy, we need you back at the Institute! Clary will be fine!”

Izzy hesitated, and Alec nodded at Aline. Aine grasped Izzy’s wrist and yanked her backwards through the portal, Izzy shouting out to Clary as she fell through. As the portal closed behind Alec, guards streamed into the Cemetery and set their weapons on Clary, ordering her down to her knees. Slowly, Clary dropped her stele and got down on her knees, grunting softly as a guard came from behind her and kicked her down onto her stomach.

~~~~~~~~~~

Maia expected to feel different after the spell to transfer Luke’s alpha powers to her. She’d expected to feel stronger, more centred. When she told Luke this, he chuckled and put his hand on her shoulder.

“You’ve had the strength of an alpha for a while now. You’ve had the heart of an alpha from the moment I met you. The only thing that’s changed is the venom in your bite,” he told her. “You’re going to be amazing.”

“Damn right she is!” Tato crowed, raising his beer, “to the new Alpha!”

All the wolves raised their drinks, scattered around the Hunter’s Moon. Even Dot raised her glass of water, smiling at Maia and Luke. She’d been Luke’s first choice to carry out the ritual; he’d known her for years, and she’d been like a sister to him in the years that they were hiding out in Brooklyn with Jocelyn and Clary. If anyone had to take his status from him, he was glad it was Dot. 

He felt lighter, now that he’d handed the reins to Maia. It had been the right choice for everyone. Now he could focus on Simon and Clary, the parts of his family who actually needed him. He’d already lost Jocelyn and Cleophas. Maia gave him a tight hug, and promised to look after the pack against his shoulder.

“I haven’t doubted you for a moment,” he said, and she squeezed him a little tighter.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Why did you do that?!” Izzy shouted, shoving at Alec as the portal closed behind them. “She could be killed and you just left her there!”

“If we didn’t then we’d all be arrested too and the downworlders wouldn’t stand a chance!” Alec told her, putting the unconscious foot soldier demon down on the carpet of Magnus’ living room. “Focus, Izzy, we don’t have time for this. Lilith is making moves, we need to stop her, NOW. I need your head in this.”

“He’s right, Iz,” Aline said, rubbing her back. “I’ll go back to Alicante and find out what’s happening with Clary as soon as we get this demon secured.” 

Izzy sniffed, taking a few deep breaths to ward off the panic she was feeling at the idea of Clary being in the clutches of the same people who were experimenting on downworlders. “Okay. Okay. I’ve got this,” Izzy dug in her back pocket and pulled out a handful of silver powder. “Powdered adamas, enriched with angelic energy,” she murmured, tossing it towards the demon on the ground. It formed a perfect circle around it, and started to glow white. 

Alec and Aline looked at each other, impressed. “Alright, good. Aline, call Luke and see if he’s had any joy tracking Lilith.”

“On it,” Aline promised, going out onto the balcony to call Luke. 

Izzy looked at Alec with resentment clear in her eyes. “You wouldn’t have done that to Magnus.” 

“We don’t have time!”

“Say it!” Izzy insisted, “say you would have left Magnus in that graveyard!”

Alec licked his lips, turning away to see if Magnus was in his apothecary. “Magnus is a downworlder, it’s different.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

Alec had never been gladder to see Magnus, crossing the room to greet him as he came in through the front door. “We have one of Lilith’s foot soldier demons captive,” he told Magnus, “we need to find out where Lilith is, she’s getting ready for something big.”

Magnus looked surprised to see the Lightwood siblings in his living room, never mind a being that looked exactly like Clary getting to their feet in the middle of a white circle. “Uhh…”

Izzy did a double take when she saw that the foot soldier demon had transformed into Clary, fury spiking in her once more. “Turn back, you bastard,” she flicked her wrist, transforming her bracelet into a staff.

“Isabelle, it’s alright, it’s just a shapeshifter,” Magnus soothed, coming over to touch her shoulder. He glanced around, frowning. “Where’s the real Clary?”

“She’s in Alicante. In custody.” Izzy gritted out, “we left her behind.”

“To buy ourselves time to organise,” Alec explained, “the Consul’s going to try to take the New York Institute, and Lilith was having this thing dig up a grave.”

“Valentine’s grave,” Aline pointed out as she came back into the room, tucking her phone into her back pocket, “did you notice?”

Izzy frowned, her head snapping to look at Aline. “Why would Lilith want Valentine’s body?”

Magnus hurried into his apothecary to retrieve the scroll that Jem had given him. 

“Did you get hold of Luke?” Alec asked Aline, who nodded.

“He’s coming over with Simon now.”

“Do we know how many mundanes Lilith has possessed?” Magnus asked.

“You are no match for mother,” the demon growled smugly, and the entire group looked at it. It was unnerving to see Clary with her eyes completely black. “You will all die.”

“We don’t,” Alec said, ignoring the demon. “Luke might, though.”

“I should head out,” Aline told them, “I’m the only one of us who can go back to Alicante right now, I’ll find out what’s going on with Clary.”

“Thank you,” Izzy said, swallowing hard. “Make sure she’s not alone.”

“I’ll do everything I can to get her released,” Aline promised.

“In the meantime, we need to know where Lilith is,” Alec raised his chin as he looked at the demon. “You appearing as Clary won’t phase us.”

Aline squeezed Izzy’s shoulder in a show of solidarity as she walked past towards Magnus, who’d opened a portal to the Alicante border. The Clary-shaped demon tested the strength of the adamas circle, hissing and tearing its hand back as it touched the barrier and felt a sharp shock of angelic power.

“First you leave your girlfriend to die at the hands of the Clave, and now you watch with relish as she burns herself,” the demon uttered, its black eyes fixed on Izzy.

“You are not Clary.” Izzy snapped.

“Izzy, ignore it.” Magnus urged.

The demon was looking intently into Izzy’s eyes, smirking all the while. Alec wanted to strong arm his way between them, the tension coiling in Izzy’s shoulders making him nervous.

“Clary knew all along that this would happen,” the demon said, “that you’d push her aside so that you could be with the werewolf.”

Izzy clenched her jaw. “You know nothing about any of us.”

“I know everything about all of you,” the demon taunted, “I’ve seen into your soul. I see all. I see your fear, your childish insecurity.”

“Magnus, any luck figuring out what Lilith is doing?” Alec asked, trying to distract attention from the demon.

Before Magnus could answer, the demon spoke again. “You are nothing but a child striving for the praise of your mother,” it sneered, “everything you do, all you want is for Mommy to be proud of you. How touching.”

“I think…” Magnus gently steered Izzy away from the demon, “I think Lilith is planning a resurrection.”

Izzy was trembling with rage, her face flushed with embarrassment as well as anger. “We need to stop her and get Clary back.”

“Clary this, Clary that,” the demon sighed, “you all must know that your precious Clary is as good as dead?”

“Shut up,” Alec snarled at it, pointing his seraph dagger at its throat. “Before I make you.”

“You both need to calm down,” Magnus insisted, pulling the two Lightwood siblings into his apothecary and shutting the door. “This demon is trying to distract you from Lilith’s plans. Do not let it.”

Izzy nodded, dropping her eyes to the ground. “You said that she was trying to bring someone back from the dead?” 

“It seems the most likely thing,” Magnus explained, “and… Well, it makes sense.”

“Why would Lilith want to resurrect Valentine?” Alec asked, “he hates demons. He’d hunt her if he were here.”

“It’s not Valentine that I think she’s bringing back,” Magnus said grimly, “it’s Jonathan. A resurrection ritual needs the flesh of the father and…” He hesitated, “it also needs the blood and life-force of a living family member.”

“What do you mean life-force?” Izzy almost didn’t want to know the answer.

Magnus shook his head. “I’m not sure. This isn’t my knowledge, it’s my friend’s. His notes just say the ingredients of the ritual.”

“So presumably Lilith is going to go after Clary before she does her ritual?” 

“It appears so.”

Izzy couldn’t believe what was about to come out of her mouth. “Then maybe it’s for the best that she’s in Alicante right now.”

“Maybe,” Magnus agreed, “and now that Clary’s been arrested, it’s unlikely that Lilith will be able to get away with a shapeshifter infiltrating Alicante a second time.”

“Clary?!” Luke’s voice floated in from the living room, and Alec hurried out to meet him.

“It’s not Clary,” Alec told him before the demon could respond, “it’s a shapeshifter demon.”

Luke wrinkled his nose. “Why’s it taken the form of Clary?” 

“Because it knew that it would get under our skin. Clary… She’s been arrested by the Clave.” Alec explained gently, “she stayed behind in Alicante to let us get away. Aline’s gone back there to figure out what’s going on.”

“You just left her there?” Simon demanded, “on her own?”

“I just said, Aline’s gone back to help her,” Alec insisted, “now calm down before you blow us all to pieces with that thing on your head!”

“Have you told Maia?” Luke asked, and Alec shook his head. 

“I don’t think Izzy can say it out loud right now.”

“Let me call her,” Luke murmured.

“I’ll call her,” Simon grumbled.

“Simon, we need you in there with Magnus and Izzy strategizing, Luke’s got this.” Alec pressed. “You’re the only one who can stop Lilith. Don’t let Clary’s sacrifice be for nothing.”

Simon looked pissed, but he relented, heading into Magnus’ apothecary. Alec sighed and looked at Luke.

“Tell Maia we’re doing everything we can to keep her safe, okay? We’re not just going to throw her to the dogs and forget about her. Aline’s on it.”

“Yeah, I’ll let her know,” Luke promised. He went out into the hallway to call Maia to make sure he was out of Izzy’s earshot; this had to be hard enough for her without listening to Luke break the news to her other girlfriend.

Back in Magnus’ apothecary, he and Alec, Izzy and Simon were sharing all the information all of them had gathered in the past week. “We think that Lilith is trying to bring Jonathan back,” Magnus told Simon, who grimaced.

“Right. Well, me and Luke think we almost found her, but she did this spell where she transported the entire top half of the building away. You’d think that it would be pretty easy to find a few floors of a department store in this city, but…”

“She’s most likely glamoured it to blend in with the rest of the city,” Magnus said, “I’ve done that a fair few times. Hell, this loft started out as the third floor of a building in Queens.”

“So she could be anywhere? No way of tracking the magic?” Izzy asked.

“Not now, she’s had time to mask it.”

“So we need to figure out a way to get the demon to talk,” Alec summarised, and the rest of them nodded. He cleared his throat, flexing his neck. “Right. Any honesty spells that work on demons?” 

Magnus crossed the room to pluck a book off the shelf next to the window. “Not off the top of my head, but there could be. I’ll need a little time to look.”

“That’s one thing we don’t have,” Izzy sighed, scratching her hairline anxiously. “We have to try and trick it, somehow.”

“It’s not going to be easy, it’s already shown that it’s capable of manipulation.” Alec pointed out, “it could turn into anybody, and if it looks you in the eye it can extract your insecurities.”

“Let me at it, I am painfully aware of all my insecurities,” Simon shrugged.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to engage with it,” Magnus piped up, “none of you are going to be able to stay focussed faced with something like that. Especially now that Clary’s in danger.”

None of them could deny that Magnus was right. “Let’s hope that there’s a demon honesty potion or something,” Alec muttered.

~~~~~~~~~~

Maia’s world seemed to tip when Luke told her that Clary had been arrested. She’d been insistent that the Clave needed to be brought down the moment that Luke had told her what they were up to, but now… She had to take a moment once Luke had hung up to get herself together, the anger rising in her making her hands itch like they always did right before she started to turn. 

Closing her eyes, Maia forced herself to breathe deeply, thinking of the give and take of ocean waves. She imagined the waves rushing towards her, and then ebbing away her desperate rage. Once she was sure that her wolf was under control, she marched back into the main restaurant, the kitchen door swinging behind her. 

“The Clave have been running experiments on downworlders to try and change them back into mundanes,” Maia told the pack without any preamble, “our allies at the New York Institute have been trying to petition them but they arrested one of them.”

“Have they been experimenting on wolves?” Amanda asked, her eyes fearful. 

Maia nodded. “Wolves and vampires, mostly.”

“Which shadowhunter?” Russell demanded. 

“Clary Fray,” Maia answered, looking at him defiantly, daring him to say something about it. 

Russell huffed, shaking his head. “The kid who killed Valentine? If the Clave have turned against her, then we’re screwed.”

Maia was surprised that he wasn’t arguing that her judgement was skewed because it was her girlfriend at stake, but his reasoning was sound. “I believe that the time has come to fight the shadowhunter authorities for our freedoms. They have ground us under their heels for centuries. I don’t want to live in fear of shadowhunters any longer. So I am going to fight. I will not force anybody, but… Who’s with me?” 

“We can’t go up against the Clave by ourselves,” Bat piped up.

“We won’t be alone.” Maia assured him, “all the factions of the downworld hope to come together to defeat the Clave, as well as a fair number of shadowhunters. There will be an army.”

“Then I will fight,” Russell told her.

“Me too,” Tato promised.

One by one, the rest of the pack agreed. Maia breathed out a sigh of relief, proud of her pack for standing up for what was right. 

“We won’t rest until every wolf, vampire, warlock and seelie is free.” Maia swore. “We’ll cut down any shadowhunter who stands in our way.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“What exactly am I being tried for?” Clary demanded as she was brought before the Council, her hands cuffed in front of her. 

She only recognised two of the nine people sat at the conference table in front of her, Jia Penhallow and Inquisitor Herondale. The rest were strangers to her, but they looked at her like they were all too familiar with her. They hadn’t been at her rune ceremony, at least not that she remembered. So enemies, she assumed.

“Treason, collusion with demonic forces, trespassing in restricted areas, aiding and abetting the enemies of the Clave… Take your pick.” Jia told her, her fingers slotting together on the table in front of her. “You will be questioned with the Soul Sword and then we will decide on an appropriate punishment.”

Clary looked at the Soul Sword, set on a pedestal in front of her. “And if I don’t want to answer your questions?” 

“You do not have a choice,” one of the other Council members said impatiently, nodding at the Silent Brother who was standing next to the Soul Sword. He passed a stele over the Soul Sword, and it began to glow. Clary’s hands rose to touch it like a moth to a flame, helplessly attracted. 

When her hands touched the warm adamas, Clary felt an almost painful shock of angelic energy, forcing her to close her eyes against the blinding light in her mind. “What’s happening?” She gasped, trying to tear her hands away to no avail.

“Why were you digging up your father’s grave?!” The voices of the Council members were almost drowned out by the light. It felt like it was about to swallow Clary whole. “Answer!”

Just as Clary thought her insides were going to boil, the light dimmed, and imploded, leaving her panting and sagging on her feet. Sweat was pouring down her face, and the guard next to her had to catch her as her knees gave out. “Stop…”

“What is this?!” Jia demanded, getting to her feet. 

“The angels don’t want me near this thing,” Clary told them, though how she knew that, she didn’t know.

“You dare act as if you know the angel’s will!” 

“This is blasphemy!”

“Wait…” Clary shook her head, her hands still hovering close to the sword. “Valentine’s grave was the one being dug up?” 

“You act as if you don’t know,” Inquisitor Herondale scoffed.

“She is touching the Soul Sword,” Jia pointed out, her eyebrows furrowed. “Tell us how you came to be in the graveyard.”

“We heard... That Inquisitor Herondale had been... Compromised,” Clary answered, still trying to catch her breath, “she’d been replaced by a shape shifting foot soldier demon, working with Lilith.”

“I have never heard such nonsense,” one of the Council members snorted, “the girl must be overriding the sword with her enhanced abilities.”

“Victor Aldertree did tell me that he had a very strange conversation with me shortly before Miss Fray was arrested,” Inquisitor Herondale spoke up, “but I hadn’t seen him at all. I believe she is telling the truth.”

“Why was the demon digging up Valentine’s corpse?” Jia asked.

“I don’t know,” Clary shook her head, “Lilith is planning a ritual in New York, she’s been possessing virtuous mundanes.”

“Mr Lightwood’s recent reports corroborate this,” Jia muttered, sitting back down. “What do you know of Alec Lightwood’s plans?”

“Be more specific,” one of the Council members insisted, “does Alec Lightwood plan to betray the Clave?” 

Clary felt the word yes forming on her tongue, and gritted her teeth. The light grew once more, and this time Clary didn’t fight it, her consciousness falling freely into it. Her fingers clenched around the Soul Sword, and it shattered under her touch, pieces of adamas flying out away from her, still glowing. 

“By the angel!” Inquisitor Herondale sounded horrified. “She destroyed the Soul Sword!”

“Yes,” Clary growled, the light dying away once more. “No-one should have that much power.”

“How are we supposed to use Raziel’s wish now?!” 

Clary ground her teeth together. “You can’t. Thank god. It was only a matter of time before one of you took Valentine’s place and wished away downworlders. I’m glad it’s gone.”

“We can… We can re-forge the sword,” Jia said, ignoring Clary.

“You can,” Clary raised her chin, “but it won’t work. I used Raziel’s wish, and I would do it again.”

The Council was stunned into silence, and even the Silent Brother who had been quietly gathering up the shards of the Soul Sword froze and turned his sightless face to her. 

“I killed Valentine after he killed Izzy, and I wished her back to life. And Raziel granted my wish. You have nothing.”

“You are lying!” Inquisitor Herondale shouted, her eyes blazing.

Clary shrugged. “Re-forge the sword and see.”

“I have never, in my life, witnessed a criminal so lacking in remorse,” Jia stated, her chest heaving in outrage. 

“Are you sure?” Clary asked, “Valentine-”

“You have gone beyond any crime that Valentine ever committed,” Jia told her, “you have used the sacred wish for selfish reasons. To save your illicit affair with another woman! I have never been so disgusted in-”

“And that is exactly what is wrong with the Clave,” Clary interrupted her. “You see an act of love as a crime worse than genocide. And that is why you won’t be allowed to wield power for much longer.”

“Is that a threat?” One of the council members demanded.

“You bet your ass it is.”

“I think we can all agree,” Jia gritted out, “what the punishment for you should be.” She glanced at the Council members either side of her, and they nodded. “Clary Fray, you are hereby sentenced to death.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Aline was just pushing the door open when her mother passed judgement on Clary, and she froze. Clary didn’t see her, too busy glaring murderously at the Council members as she was dragged away by a couple of guards. The first thought Aline had was that she had to get Clary out of there. They couldn’t kill Clary, it was unthinkable. Clary was a force of nature, you couldn’t just… Kill her.

“Aline.”

Aline dragged her gaze from the door that Clary had been pulled through to her mother, who was walking towards her. “You can’t.”

Jia’s face hardened. “She used Raziel’s wish and destroyed the Soul Sword.”

“She… What?” 

“Your friend has been lying to everyone.” Jia told her, “and she will pay the price.”

Aline shook her head. “But she killed Valentine. She brought down the Circle.”

“Did you hear what I said? Raziel’s wish is gone. We are doomed. She has taken away our last and greatest hope.” 

The other Council members filed out of the room, leaving the two Penhallows staring at each other. Aline came inside the chamber and closed the door. “She also destroyed the Clave’s greatest enemy.”

“Valentine is not the Clave’s greatest enemy,” Jia insisted, “Lucifer is. And now he will undoubtedly win the war that we have been waging for centuries. His demonic forces will overwhelm us and we will all die. That is the future that Clary Fray has given us.”

“Bullshit,” Aline whispered.

“Excuse me?!”

Aline gathered her courage, clenching her fists at her sides. “Armageddon has never come in one hundred thousand years of human history and it will never come! You are delusional if you think that Lucifer is ever going to escape! This isn’t about Lucifer, and it never has been! It’s about you and the fact that you are angry that you no longer have the option to murder millions of downworlders without lifting a finger!”

“You never would have spoken to me like this before you took the position at the New York Institute!” Jia shouted, “how dare you?!”

“Maybe because being around Alec, Raj and Izzy makes me feel like I can actually say what I think! Be who I am! Stand up for what I believe in! And I believe in this!”

“You believe in treason?” 

Aline shook her head slowly, her hands on her hips. “I believe that we should be better. I believe that we should value peace over power. If that is treason…”

“Do not finish that sentence,” Jia warned, her voice trembling. “Do not.”

“Then I suppose you’d better have me put me to death, too.” Aline said, raising her chin.

Jia walked close to her, her fists clenched at her sides. “I blame Blackthorn for this,” she hissed, “I know what she has done to you and I should have put a stop to it sooner.”

“What she has done to me?” Aline’s throat was dry. How long had her mother known? “She taught me how to love.”

“And you call me delusional.” Jia scoffed, walking past Aline and out the door.

Aline turned to watch her mother walk away down the hallway, tears springing to her eyes. As Jia turned the corner, she dug in her pocket for her phone. She had to tell Izzy and Maia what was going on. They needed a plan. They needed to save Clary. She quickly made a groupchat of her, Maia and Izzy and facetimed the group, hoping that both would pick up. 

“Any news?” Izzy asked as Maia loaded in. 

“Let’s wait for Maia,” Aline said, her stomach clenching as Maia’s face appeared on her screen, too. She had no idea how to say it. “The trial’s over.”

“What were the charges?” Izzy demanded, her surroundings changing rapidly as she walked through Magnus’ loft to find some privacy. 

“I’m not sure,” Aline admitted, “I didn’t get here in time.”

“Where is she now? What did they say?” Maia’s voice was desperate. 

“They’ve taken her to the Gard,” Aline told them, “I… It was something about Raziel’s wish, and the Soul Sword.”

“Oh my God,” Izzy whispered, her hand coming up to her mouth. “They found out?” 

“Fuck!” Maia kicked something, the camera fluctuating for a moment.

“Aline,” Izzy looked like she was about to cry. “Aline, please tell me they’re deruning her. Please.”

Aline swallowed back her own tears. “Izzy, I’m so sorry.”

“No…”

“What?” Maia demanded, “what did they do?”

“They… They sentenced her to death,” Aline told her, her voice wavering. “But we have time,” she insisted, “I’ll do everything I can to get her free, I swear.”

Maia was standing very still, staring just past the camera. Izzy was sniffing quickly, desperately trying to keep it together. “When are they planning to do it?” Maia asked.

“I’m not sure,” Aline admitted.

“Then we need to storm Alicante. Today.” Maia insisted, “as soon as possible.”

Aline nodded, looking around to make sure the chamber she was in was empty. “What about Lilith?”

“Lilith can’t carry out her plan without Clary,” Izzy told them, “she can wait until after we’ve saved Clary.”

“Alright,” Aline said decisively, “I’m gonna see what I can do about Clary. Maybe I can find something to leverage against my Mom. I’ll keep the Clave calm and unsuspecting while you get ready for the battle.”

“Iz, I’ll meet you at Magnus’ with the other downworld leaders,” Maia promised, “see you in a bit.”

Once Maia was gone, Izzy hesitated. “Aline, I need you to do anything it takes to keep Clary safe.”

“I’ll do everything in my power,” Aline swore.

Izzy nodded. “Okay. See you soon.” Once she’d hung up, she made her way back to the apothecary, carefully avoiding looking at the Clary-shaped demon. She couldn’t deal with that right now. “Clary is in trouble,” Izzy told Magnus, Simon, Luke and Alec.

“Does Maia-?”

“Aline video-called both of us,” Izzy answered Luke, her eyes on Alec. “She’s been sentenced to death.”

“What?!” Simon yelled.

Alec shook his head almost imperceptibly, his eyebrows creasing in the middle. He’d made a mistake leaving her in that graveyard. How could he have been so callous? “We’ll save her.”

“We should get Lorenzo and Raphael here, we need to move our plans up,” Magnus agreed, “we can’t just leave it all to Aline.”

Alec was crossing the room to give Izzy a hug when his phone rang. The angelic rune was flashing on his screen, and he hesitated. 

“Answer it, it could be about Lilith,” Izzy whispered, accepting a hug from Luke instead.

“What is it?” Alec asked, scratching the back of his head.

“The Clave’s sent a team here. We’ve locked the doors but they seem intent on getting in, Alec. Lydia’s leading them. They’re after you.” Raj told him grimly, and Alec bit the inside of his cheek. “We need you here, it’s only a matter of time before they get the doors open and I think they’re looking for a fight.”

“Shit,” Alec hissed, “they need me here.”

“You should go, Alec,” Magnus insisted, “if you lose the Institute then most of our shadowhunter allies will be arrested, we need them.”

“He’s right,” Izzy agreed, “I’ll stay here and figure out a plan with the downworlders. You secure the Institute.” 

“Me and Simon will keep looking for Lilith, Magnus and Maia will look after Izzy,” Luke promised, patting Alec’s back.

Alec gave Izzy a one-armed hug. “Alright, Raj, I’ll get a portal over as soon as I get off the phone.”

“See you in a second,” Raj muttered before hanging up.

“You sure you’re gonna be okay?” He checked as Magnus conjured a portal. Izzy took his hand and squeezed it. 

“I’ll be fine, big brother. Go and smack Lydia for me.” 

~~~~~~~~~~

Although she and Catarina had been getting regular updates from Magnus about the situation unfolding with the Clave, Dot was feeling good in herself. Since she had admitted to herself and her family that she was suffering with PTSD, she’d been attending therapy with a mundane counsellor, and it was making a much bigger difference than Dot could’ve dreamed of. It had become her routine to go grocery shopping on her way home from the weekly appointments, to give herself time to decompress and reflect on the session by herself before heading home to Madzie and Catarina.

She was looking forward to talking to Cat about her progress today. Catarina was quick to praise, brimming with pride for both Dot and Madzie at every positive step both of them took. As she unlocked the door to the apartment, Dot felt a wave of overwhelming gratitude for the domestic bliss she’d found herself in. It had seemed impossible a year ago, with her chained and controlled by Valentine. 

“I’m home!” Dot called out, toeing off her shoes. She waited for a beat for Madzie to come running out to greet her, frowning when her daughter didn’t show. “Madz?” When she glanced down at the shoe rack, she noticed that Cat’s sneakers were there, along with Madzie’s favourite boots. “Cat?”

“We’re in the bedroom!” Cat called. 

As she rounded the corner, Dot noticed a smattering of lilac flower petals, and huffed out a soft laugh. The trail led through the apartment until she came to the closed bedroom door. After a gentle knock, she let herself into her and Cat’s bedroom, tucking her hair behind her ear as her eyes took in the scene.

Catarina and Madzie were both sitting on the bed, flower petals the same as the ones on the ground making a heart shape at the bottom of the bed in front of them. She guessed that Cat must’ve taken the day off because she was in a nice burgundy dress instead of her regular scrubs, and Madzie was beaming in her favourite navy dress. 

“What is this?” Dot asked, trying to remember if this was an anniversary of something or other. 

“Mommy has a question,” Madzie explained, getting up off the bed to pull Dot across the room to take her place. “A big question.”

Cat smiled at her, her brown eyes warm and happy. “I know that hell is breaking loose around us, and I know that we don’t know what’s coming, but I do know that whatever happens next, I want to face it with you.”

“With us!” Madzie corrected her, and Catarina nodded.

“Exactly. With us, the three of us, as a family.”

Dot’s gaze went from Cat, to Madzie, and back again, amazed and a little confused.

“Ask her, Mommy!” Madzie goaded, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Cat giggled, and Dot marvelled at the sound. Catarina Loss? Giggling with nerves? “Dorothea… Will you marry me?”

“And adopt me?” Madzie asked, throwing her arms out. 

Catarina held out her hand, and a little black box appeared in her hand, already open to reveal a beautiful gold engagement ring. Dot’s hand came up to her mouth, her throat too thick to speak. She nodded quickly, bursting into laughter as Madzie cheered and jumped on the bed next to them, sending the flower petals flying up in the air. 

“Yes,” Dot answered, gasping a little through the happy tears, “yes, I will.”

Madzie climbed into Dot’s lap and gave her a kiss on the cheek as Cat slipped the ring onto her finger. It was gorgeous, a deep red ruby set in gold, and Dot loved it already. Cat leaned forward to give Dot a gentle kiss, their hands squeezing each others’ fingers. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Maybe she was losing her mind, but Clary didn’t feel scared at all. She knew that Izzy and Maia wouldn’t allow the Clave to execute her. They’d been in worse scrapes than this and come through the other side; they’d find a way out of this. 

On the other hand, Clary was now in the Gard, the most secure facility in the entire shadow world, and she wasn’t allowed any visitors. The only time she was out in the open was the hour that she was outside in the yard with the other prisoners to watch the gruesome, sadistic death sentences being carried out. Clary had no intention of submitting to death by holy fire, and she was studying her surroundings looking for a possible weakness in security when she felt a nudge in her ribs.

Iris Rouse was standing next to her, looking intently down her nose at Clary. “So they finally found a reason to get you here.”

“What do you want, Iris?” Clary asked, her eyes still on the platform where Jia Penhallow was reading the charges of the latest Circle member to be hauled up to the fire. 

“I wanted to thank you for saving Madzie from Valentine. She sends me the occasional letter. She seems very happy with Dr Loss.” 

“She is,” Clary assured her, “Catarina and Dot adore her.”

Iris hummed. “Well, good.”

“How long have you been here?”

“Since Magnus sent me,” Iris answered, an edge of resentment in her voice, “I was given a trial that day and then I was here.”

“And you haven’t been executed yet?” Clary glanced at her.

“They want something from me before they kill me,” she murmured, “something they think only I can give them.”

Clary frowned deeply. “A shadowhunter warlock?”

“No, no, of course not. They want me to bring back Valentine.” Iris shuddered visibly at the thought. “There’s nothing on Earth that could convince me to do it.”

“Why do they want Valentine back?” Clary demanded, turning to face her properly. “He almost tore the shadow world apart.”

Iris shrugged. “Isn’t that what the Clave want, really?” 

Clary thought about it, and decided that it wasn’t all that surprising at all. If the Clave had been running experiments to turn downworlders to mundanes, perhaps they needed Valentine’s experience and specialty. Either way, it gave her a way out of this mess.

It was just as well, too, because it seemed like Penhallow was intent on getting rid of her sooner rather than later. Three elite guards came and pulled Clary from the holding pen, almost tripping her up in their haste to get her up to the fire pit. Clary let them take her, a plan quickly formulating in her head. She could definitely buy enough time for Izzy and Alec to get the downworlders in position. 

“Clary Fray,” Jia’s gaze was cold, but Clary kept her head held high as the guards shackled her in position. “You have been found guilty of high treason and of using the angel’s wish for selfish ends. Do you have any last words?” 

“I can bring back Valentine from the dead,” Clary told her, loud enough that all the prisoners heard. Jia’s eyes widened, and she turned to one of the advisors standing just behind her, the two of them muttering quickly to each other. Clary’s heart began to race as they argued, a sliver of fear sneaking in that perhaps Jia’s hatred of her was about to win out over everything else. She glanced around, her eyes landing on Aline, who was hiding just round the doorway behind the platform that Jia and the other Clave officials were standing on. 

“What are you doing?!” Aline mouthed, and Clary shrugged one shoulder. Aline ducked back behind the door when one of the elite guards looked over. 

“How do you intend to do this?” Jia asked. “You do not have access to magic.”

“But I can create runes,” Clary explained, “I can make any rune I want.”

Jia and the others seemed to agree, nodding at each other. “Your abilities will be tested. If you are found useful to the Clave then your death sentence will be changed to life imprisonment.”

“So you can use me for your heinous war crimes,” Clary surmised, and Jia clicked her tongue, shaking her head. 

“Do not tempt me to have your tongue cut from your throat, Miss Fray.” 

Clary didn’t doubt that she was serious, so she kept quiet as the elite guards came to unshackle her. At least she’d bought herself some time, she told herself. She just hoped that her runes would work.

~~~~~~~~~~

Magnus didn’t waste time in summoning Lorenzo, Raphael and Meliorn once Alec was gone; if the time had come to storm Alicante, they’d need all hands on deck. Luckily, all factions of the down world seemed to be in agreement for once. 

“The Clave needs to be stopped,” Lorenzo said importantly, “and I will be honoured to lead the warlocks who are ready to fight.”

“The pack is behind us,” Maia assured them, “they’re thirsty for blood now that they know about the experiments.” 

Meliorn was wearing his armour, and had another two seelie knights with him. “The Queen has agreed to lending seelie troops when the time is right.” 

“I hope that you have a good plan,” Raphael muttered, folding his arms. “We’re going to be outnumbered.”

“Once Alec’s secured the Institute against Lydia we’ll have fifty shadowhunters,” Izzy pointed out, “we just have to hope he gets it done quickly.”

“Yeah,” Maia agreed, “god knows what they’re doing to Clary right now.”

“This invasion is not about Miss Fairchild,” Lorenzo insisted, “it’s about freeing the downworld from the Clave’s tyranny.”

“It can be about both.” Maia returned, narrowing her eyes at Lorenzo. “My pack recognises that Clary is a valuable ally, considering her ability to create runes and the fact that she stopped Valentine.”

Lorenzo shrugged one shoulder. “I suppose you have a point there.”

“We just have to hope that Clary’s bought herself some time,” Izzy mumbled, mostly to herself.

~~~~~~~~~~

“So how does this rune power work?” Jia asked, the skepticism clear in her voice. 

Clary lifted her cuffed hands to sweep her hair out of her face. “I just do it.”

Four guards wheeled in a metal bed with a sheet over it, the contours of a corpse clear. The smell made Clary’s stomach flip. Once it was positioned in the middle of the room, one of the guards flipped the sheet back to reveal Valentine’s grey face. Clary hadn’t seen him since she’d killed him; he hadn’t had a funeral service. Or if he had, Clary hadn’t attended. He was wearing the clothes he’d died in, stained black with dried blood.

“Get on with it,” Jia urged, “if you can.”

“I’ll need a stele,” Clary pointed out, holding out her hand expectantly. Jia nodded to a guard, who handed his stele to her. As Clary turned to Valentine’s corpse, she dug deep for that light that had overwhelmed her at the soul sword. Gritting her teeth, she shoved Valentine’s collar aside and put her stele to the mottled skin. As she started to draw the shape glowing in her mind’s eye, the ground began to shake, and Jia and her guards held onto the nearest surfaces to them. The lights blinked on and off, and Jia reached out to grasp Clary’s shoulder.

“This is not the will of the angel!”

“But it’s my will,” Clary growled, her eyes hard on her stele, finishing up the new rune. The moment her stele lifted, Valentine gasped back to life, his eyes flying open. He struggled against the adamas restraints that held him to the bed, his gaze flitting over Jia before settling on Clary. 

“Clarissa-”

“Save it, you were woken for a reason.” Clary told him, turning to Jia. “Happy?” 

Jia nodded at her guards, who relaxed their defensive positions. “You have been resurrected for a reason, Morgenstern. The moment you become more trouble than your knowledge is worth, you will be returned to hell.”

“I wasn’t in hell,” Valentine insisted, his eyebrows furrowing. “It was just… darkness. Endless suffocating darkness. Nothing. The angels did not welcome me.”

“Of course they didn’t,” Clary scoffed, “they don’t want the downworlders dead. You were wrong.”

Valentine didn’t seem to be listening to her, instead thinking hard about something else. “Your powers are greater than I ever imagined. You ripped me from death.”

“And I was the one who put you down in the first place, don’t forget that.” 

“How could I? It was magnificent. You finally embracing your true nature.” Valentine murmured, genuine pride in his eyes. Clary’s lip curled.

“I gave you what you want,” Clary turned to Jia, “can I go back to my cell?” 

“I will not speak to anyone other than my daughter,” Valentine insisted.

Jia looked at Valentine with pursed lips. “She wants no part of the experiments we need your assistance with.”

“You’re damn right I don’t.”

“Experiments?” Valentine asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

“We are trying to find a way to reverse the process of mundanes turning into vampires and werewolves.”

Valentine looked disgusted. “That goes against nature. You cannot cleanse a downworlder of their filth.”

While she was disgusted, as always, by Valentine’s sick rhetoric, Clary was relieved to hear that Valentine didn’t approve of the experiments; if he’d helped the Clave develop the serum she’d never forgive herself. She was hoping that Alec and Izzy would storm Alicante before Valentine reached the laboratory.

“You will co-operate with us, Valentine, or we will send you back to your grave!”

“If you went against nature to bring me back,” Valentine observed, “then you desperately want me here. You won’t kill me.”

“I wouldn’t bet on it, Morgenstern,” Jia gritted out. 

Valentine moved so quickly that Clary and the others barely saw it; one moment he was chained down to the table, and the next he was on his feet, lunging for Jia. The guards pointed their weapons at him, but he had his arm around Jia’s throat, her stele in his hand. Clary took advantage of the confusion to angle the stele she’d been given towards her handcuffs, freeing her hands.

“Kill him, you idiots!” Jia shouted, and Clary threw herself on the ground as the guards fired their crossbows straight at Valentine’s head. 

There was a moment of silence once the guards had fired. Clary waited for the thud of Valentine’s body to hit the floor, but it didn’t come. Slowly she got to her feet to see Valentine standing there with a crossbow bolt stuck directly between his eyes. There was no blood, not even a reaction from Valentine, who was still gripping Jia tightly. With his free hand, he reached up and plucked the bolt from his head, tossing it aside. 

“It seems that you can’t kill me,” Valentine crowed, and Clary’s stomach dropped as he looked at her. “Come with me, Clarissa. I can get you out of here.”

What had she done?! She’d unleashed an immortal Valentine back on the world. Her mind raced, but her mouth moved for her before she could think about it. “I’m never going anywhere with you.”

Valentine didn’t seem surprised by her answer. “Fine,” he replied, backing towards the door with Jia in his grasp, “have it your way.”

The guards tried to follow him, hastily reloading their weapons, but they were powerless. For a moment, Clary stared at the empty table where Valentine’s corpse had laid, and then she put her stele to her speed rune and took off after him.


	5. Episode 5: Stronger Than Heaven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I managed to post this chapter on time!! Ayyy!!
> 
> We're halfway through this last instalment! This is where we finally leave canon behind for good. It brings the Lilith plotline to an end, and then we're going to bring down the Clave once and for all! I'm so excited!
> 
> Trigger warnings for this chapter!
> 
> Guns: Maryse is carrying a rifle because she can no longer use seraph blades etc, but she never actually fires it
> 
> Religious language: Lydia urges Alec to ‘repent’. 
> 
> Dead bodies: Clary makes brief reference of the fact that there are a lot of dead bodies of Gard guards in the corridors, but they aren’t described. Jonathan’s dead body is briefly mentioned as being covered in ‘black blood’, similar to the show. 
> 
> Abusive/unhealthy parental relationships: Magnus talks about the fact that Asmodeus coerced him to do terrible things when he was young, but doesn’t go into a great amount of detail. Clary briefly talks to Valentine, asking him if abusing his two kids was worth it, and Valentine doesn’t exhibit any regret. Jia asks Aline about Alec’s plans, trying to be nice to her to convince Aline to turn on Alec, and Aline lies to her. Magnus describes an immense feeling of fear about facing his father, but when the time comes he finds the strength to face Asmodeus. Asmodeus tries to convince Magnus that Magnus’ suffering as a child was his own fault, and that Magnus was the one who hurt Asmodeus. Magnus knows it’s rubbish.
> 
> Violence: There’s a lot of fighting this episode. There’s a brief reference to Valentine ‘cutting down’ guards on his way through the prison. Clary threatens to rip the shapeshifter demon’s throat out. Lilith slaps Clary across the face. Alec and Raj fight the shapeshifter demons, the fights are briefly described. Russell and Maia work together to rip one of the demons’ heads off. Clary tries to bite Lilith’s fingers off (but doesn’t). Alec loses his fight and gets shallowly cut across the throat and then stabbed, as in canon.
> 
> Murder: Clary kills Valentine (kind of? I mean he’s dead but you know what I mean) as she did in canon.
> 
> Body horror/blood: A shapeshifter demon in the shape of Jia is described taking Valentine’s rib from his corpse, it’s not described super gruesomely. As in canon, Clary makes herself bleed with a piece of glass to help the gang track her.
> 
> Ableist language: Asmodeus calls Magnus ‘stupid’.
> 
> Manipulation: Clary manipulates both Valentine and Lilith to try and get an upper hand. The shape shifter demons try and manipulate Clary, Alec and Raj. They almost succeed with Alec, but Magnus saves him.
> 
> Near death experience: Alec almost dies from getting stabbed in the chest, but Magnus comes along just in time. The experience is described from Alec’s perspective, so it’s quite intense.

Alec could barely believe his eyes when he saw Maryse step through the portal with Luke. She was armed with a rifle. “Absolutely not!” He insisted.

Maryse sighed. “I may not have my runes anymore but I still have my shadowhunter training. I can fight, I can help.”

“No-one’s getting past her with that gun in her hands,” Luke pointed out, “and judging by the noise outside you need all the help you can get.” 

“I…” He looked at the dozen shadowhunters that he’d been able to spare from the hunt for Lilith and planning for the assault on the Clave. He couldn’t deny that he needed the manpower; it seemed like Lydia had at least twenty elite guards outside the door. “I don’t like it,” he admitted, “but I need you.”

Maryse grinned, and loaded her rifle. “I have your back, baby.”

Alec snorted, shaking his head. “Thanks, Mom.”

“They’re almost through!” A shadowhunter called from the door, and Alec grabbed an arrow from his quiver and loaded his bow.

“Hold your fire!” Alec urged, moving to the centre of the line. “Don’t shoot until they make the first move, we don’t want to kill anybody today unless we have to.”

A couple of guards in full body armour came through first, Lydia right behind them. They aimed their crossbows at Alec without hesitation. 

“Has the Consul told you why you’ve been ordered to kill me?” Alec challenged.

“You’ve taken the wrong path, Alec. It’s not too late to repent.” Lydia told him, brandishing a seraph blade. “You can still call this off.”

“The Clave is experimenting on downworlders against their consent,” Alec told them, “they’re trying to engineer a war, genocide. The exact thing they condemned Valentine for. I know that the guards left hated the Circle. I do too. But right now, the Clave is-”

“This is betrayal!” Lydia shouted, “he’s lying to you.”

The guards were glancing at each other, looking for confirmation or denial of the truth. Alec took advantage of their confusion, and lowered his bow. 

“Come with me peacefully, to my office, and I can show you photographic evidence.” He promised them, “we don’t want to hurt anybody, but we can’t allow the Clave to experiment on innocent downworlders. I don’t think you want that, either.”

“If you can show us the evidence,” one of the guards said, lowering his crossbow, “then we will stand with you.” 

“You are going against the Clave’s direct orders!” Lydia yelled, “you will all be charged with treason!”

“If the Clave is running the experiments that Lightwood says they are, the Consul should be charged with treason,” another of the guards said, crossing the room to stand next to Raj and Luke. 

Alec felt like he was about to cry in relief. “Let’s go. Lydia, are you interested in what the Clave’s doing, or are you just going along with whatever again?” 

Lydia narrowed her eyes at him. “You have humiliated me for the last time, Alec Lightwood.” She warned him, turning on her heel and stalking back out the front entrance.

“She’s terrible,” Maryse tutted, shaking her head. “I told you from the beginning that she was awful.”

Alec rolled his eyes. “Yes, Mom, you were right all along.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Izzy and the downworld leaders were still trying to figure out how to get around the demon blood towers when Aline phoned her. She and Maia excused themselves and hurried through to the balcony, where Izzy put Aline on speaker, both their hearts in their throats.”

“I’ve got good news and bad news,” Aline sounded like she was running, and were those sirens in the background. “Good news is Clary’s alive and is escaping.”

Maia punched the air. “I knew she would!”

“What’s the bad news?” Izzy asked. Clary wouldn’t get very far if those alarms were for her.

“The bad news is she brought Valentine back from the dead and he’s escaping too. He’s headed to try and break the Circle members out of the Gard. I’m on my way there with some guards, he has my mother as a hostage.” 

“Clary brought Valentine back from the dead?!” Maia repeated, “why the hell would she do that?!”

“It was… Sorry, hang on.” All Maia and Izzy heard for a minute was the sounds of punches being thrown and grunts of pain. “Right, sorry, yeah,” Aline panted, “she had to volunteer to do it to get out of the death penalty. I’ve got no idea where she’s gone now, but the good news is that neither do the guards. She should be on her way back to New York as soon as she gets out of the anti-portal wards.”

“How are Valentine’s chances of getting out?” Izzy asked, running her hand through her hair. Why did Clary always get out of threatening situations by creating a crisis?

“Well, the entire Clave guard is after him, but apparently he was shot in the head and it didn’t even slow him down, so…”

“So Clary made him immortal as well as bringing him back?!” Maia was rubbing her temples. “Fucking hell.”

“There has to be a way to kill him. If we had the soul sword we’d use that, but-”

“Clary shattered it,” Izzy sighed. “Okay, do you need backup?”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to send anyone in right now,” Aline answered, “it’s too dangerous. If it gets out of hand here, the Gard can be sealed, trapping them in.”

“If that changes let us know,” Maia told her, “we’ve got people ready to fight here.”

“Our priority needs to be finding Clary,” Aline insisted, “she’s the last part of Lilith’s ritual, all the demons in the world are going to be after her once she gets out of here.”

Izzy nodded. “You’re right. Alright, I’ll pass it on. Good luck, Aline.”

“See you soon.”

“This could be an opportunity to catch the Clave off guard,” Maia pointed out once they’d hung up. 

“I agree. Once we’re sure Clary’s out of Lilith’s reach, we should move forward.”

“Iz,” Maia shook her head. “We can’t prioritise Clary over this revolution, no matter how much we love her. We have a chance at an easy victory and a very small window-”

“And what happens when we all go to Alicante to fight and no-one’s here to stop Lilith from killing all those possessed mundanes and Clary to bring back Jonathan, who’ll no doubt have some terrible scheme of his own? We can’t divide our forces.” Izzy pointed out.

Maia considered it, and sighed. “You have a point.”

“We should go and tell the others,” Izzy walked past her towards the apothecary, and Maia felt the slightest chill from her. Izzy was loyal to a fault, she knew that, but Maia couldn’t help but feel like sometimes she lacked perspective. While Izzy’s logic was sound, Maia knew that it was rooted in her desire to protect Clary from getting caught in the crossfire of a battle in Alicante. Of course Maia wanted Clary safe too, but she also recognised that overthrowing the Clave was more important than any of their individual lives. She just prayed that they’d find Clary safe and sound and get her back to New York sooner rather than later.

“All hell has broken loose in the Gard,” Izzy told the assembled downworld leaders as she came back into the room, “Valentine has been resurrected, and is attempting to escape the Gard.”

“What do you mean resurrected?!” Lorenzo demanded, “how is that possible?”

Maia and Izzy looked at each other grimly. Izzy nodded at her.

“Clary was forced to bring him back with a rune to avoid the death penalty,” Maia answered.

“What was she thinking?!” Magnus exclaimed, “how could she be so irresponsible?!”

Raphael was rubbing his forehead like he was getting a headache. “If you’d all just let me break her neck during the soul sword debacle…”

“Do not finish that sentence,” Izzy warned. 

“Clary Fray has been more trouble than she’s worth.” Meliorn agreed. 

“We need to focus,” Magnus insisted, catching Izzy’s eye, “if Clary’s back in play we need to turn our attention back to Lilith. Meliorn, do you know of any way to get a shape shifting demon to turn on its master? We have one of Lilith’s demons trapped but we have no way of extracting information from it.”

“Short of the master’s consent, there is nothing that I know of that could force a demon of that calibre to answer your questions,” Lorenzo piped up. Magnus kept his eyes on Meliorn, whose eyebrows were furrowed.

“I’m afraid that the High Warlock is right.”

Magnus sighed. “Then we have no way of learning where Lilith is.” 

“I think we do,” Maia said slowly. “Lilith’s after Clary, right? She’ll be sending demons after Clary. All we have to do is track Clary, and when she gets captured she’ll lead us right to Lilith’s hideout.”

“Does Lilith have angel blood?” Raphael asked.

“Why does that matter?” Izzy replied, confusion on her face.

“Demons who were previously fallen angels, and those directly descended from them, can use steles. If Lilith has angel blood, she could activate Clary’s block rune.” Magnus explained.

Lorenzo hummed, Izzy’s eyes darting between the two warlocks. “That’s true, but Lilith was originally a human, Adam’s first wife. She won’t be able to activate a stele.”

“Right, so we track Clary.” Maia repeated.

“It should work,” Magnus agreed. “Lorenzo,” he said, ignoring the way everyone around the table looked at him with surprise, “may I speak with you privately?”

Lorenzo assented, following Magnus out to the living room, where the shape-shifter demon was still standing. “What is it, Bane?” 

Magnus blasted the demon with a bolt of magic, Clary’s form giving way to the demon’s natural visage before disappearing in a shower of orange sparks. “Ragnor and I have been discussing the invasion of Alicante. The main problem we’ll have is the demon towers.”

“I presume your toy boy will be able to-”

“Alec’s team won’t be able to get to all four,” Magnus insisted, folding his arms. “They don’t have the shadowhunter numbers to spread across the four most defended points on the border and win all of them.”

Lorenzo narrowed his eyes. “So what do you suggest?” 

“We need a warlock who can channel the magic of several warlocks all at once. If we can overload the towers, they’ll go down for good.” Magnus pointed out. “Ragnor thinks we’ll need thirteen, plus the host warlock.”

“And let me guess,” Lorenzo chuckled, shaking his head, “you’d like to volunteer to steal the power of a dozen warlock fighters.” 

“This isn’t about ego, Lorenzo, you know that you wouldn’t be able to harness-”

“Even if I trusted you with that extra magic, which I don’t,” Lorenzo interrupted, his hand coming up to stop Magnus, “we cannot spare 13 warlocks from this fight. We need the numbers as well.”

Magnus clenched his jaw. “So how do you suggest we get those demon towers down?” 

“The shadowhunters made this mess,” Lorenzo shrugged, “they can take the biggest risks.”

Before Magnus could argue, Lorenzo swept back into the apothecary, leaving Magnus’ shoulders slumping as he gazed out through the balcony doors. He didn’t have a choice. If he wanted this invasion to be a success, and for Alec and the shadowhunters to survive it, he’d have to go to Edom. 

He’d have to face his father.

~~~~~~~~~~

There was no question in Clary’s mind; there was no running to the exit. She had to face her father.

Clary had never even held a crossbow before today, but it seemed like seraph daggers weren’t the weapon of choice of the guards of the Gard that were lying dead in the corridors, leading her straight to Valentine. She was trying to keep a low profile, which wasn’t easy with a crossbow. Luckily, Valentine was more concerned with getting to his followers. Valentine had ditched Jia right before he’d gotten to the cell block, and Clary dashed to catch her as she ran down the corridor away from him. 

“Consul!” Clary hissed, catching her wrist as she came barrelling around the corner. Jia smacked her hand away, tensing defensively. “Chill out, I’m trying to help you!”

“Why would you do that?” Jia panted, her eyes darting all over Clary’s body language, assessing the risk the other woman posed. 

Clary rolled her eyes, shoving the crossbow into Jia’s hands. “Because I’m not a terrible person, and because Aline is one of my best friends. Now get out of here, I’ll deal with Valentine.”

“And how are you going to do that? He’s immortal, no thanks to you.”

“Hey, I made him,” Clary reminded her, “I can unmake him too.” She hoped.

Jia straightened up a little. “If I’m taking this, how are you supposed to defend yourself?” 

“Do you have a stele?” 

“Valentine took it, tossed it when it didn’t work.” Jia told her, and Clary tutted. “The guards keep their steles in their boots.”

Clary quirked her eyebrow. “What good are they in their boots?!”

“They’re only used for healing runes after the odd shanking injury,” Jia pointed out, and Clary wrinkled her nose. 

“Right, makes sense.” She checked the corridor before making her way to the nearest dead guard. “Go, find your security. You’re gonna need them when the Circle is released,” Clary urged her, fishing a stele from the guard’s boot. 

Jia didn’t argue, running off with the crossbow. It struck Clary after Jia had disappeared that she should have asked if Jia had a phone. Pushing the thought away, she took off down the corridor towards the cell block, growing nervous as the distant shouting grew closer.

~~~~~~~~~~

Magnus was relieved to hear from Alec sooner than expected, and once Alec had delivered the news that they’d gained more troops without anyone getting hurt, the downworlder leaders bowed out to speak to their people. Raphael, Lorenzo and Meliorn weren’t concerned with the threat from Lilith or Clary’s wellbeing.

“I’ll get the vampires together, see how many want to fight.” Raphael assured Magnus and Izzy, “I’ll be here as soon as you’re ready to move.”

“The Queen will send knights when the time is right,” Meliorn said, which left Magnus feeling a little nervous. There was no telling what the Queen would consider the right time.

“I should go back to the pack,” Maia admitted, “but keep me updated, okay? I’ll help track Clary once she’s back in New York.”

“Yeah, I will.” Izzy murmured, giving her girlfriend a tight hug. “It’s Clary, she’s gonna be fine.”

“No doubt,” Maia said, rubbing Izzy’s back.

“We should get to the Institute,” Izzy told Magnus once the door had shut behind Maia. “Wait… Where’s the demon gone?”

“I got rid of it,” Magnus replied, “we didn’t need it listening in on our plans for Lilith.”

Izzy nodded, looking at the space where the demon had stood. “I know that I shouldn’t be, but I’m worried about Clary.”

“She’ll be fine,” Magnus assured her, and Izzy hummed.

“Oh, I know she will,” Izzy replied, meeting his eyes, “but at what cost?”

Magnus didn’t know what to say to that. It was true; Clary always got herself out of tight situations, but it usually had disastrous consequences. She got that from her mother. He focussed on casting a portal, and Izzy sighed behind him. “We’ll figure it out,” he assured her softly. 

“We always do,” Izzy agreed reluctantly.

Alec was in a good mood when they made their way inside the Institute, his confidence in their cause strengthened by the ease with which he convinced the elite guards to join their side. He frowned when he saw the expressions on Izzy and Magnus’ faces. “Everything okay? Any news on Clary?” 

Izzy looked at Magnus beseechingly, and Magnus cleared out his throat. “Well, the good news is she’s escaped.”

“She has?! How?” Alec grinned, though it quickly faded when he saw that Izzy wasn’t smiling. “Wh-? What…?”

“We’d better talk in your office,” Magnus said gently.

Alec, sensing that they were about to tell him something game-changing, quickly led them through the ops centre to his office. He opened the door for Magnus, allowing him and Izzy to go through before following them in and closing the door. “How bad is it?”

“She brought Valentine back from the dead… And now he’s immortal.” Izzy said quickly, like she wanted to spit the words out as soon as possible.

“She…?” Alec’s mouth was hanging open. 

“The point is that she’s free,” Magnus reminded them, “which means Lilith is a threat again.”

“What are we gonna do about Valentine?” Alec asked.

“Aline’s there to do damage control. She said they’d seal the Gard closed if it came to that.” Izzy informed him, “she won’t allow Valentine to get out of there.”

Alec nodded. “Right. Okay, well… Right.”

“The plan is to wait for Lilith to send a demon after Clary, and track her to Lilith.” Magnus explained, “it’s the only way we’re going to be able to find her.”

“That makes sense,” Alec agreed. “So… What about Alicante?” 

“Lorenzo and the other downworld leaders are discussing tactics,” Izzy answered, “I should go and, uh, make sure we have all the weapons we need.”

“Right, yeah, good call,” Alec gave her a hug, rubbing her back. “Clary’ll be okay.”

“I know,” Izzy mumbled, burying her face in his shoulder. “I’m just trying not to think about it.” She left the room quickly once they broke apart, eager for some time alone to process the events of the past few hours. 

“Just when I think Clary’s reached peak chaotic…” Alec muttered, and Magnus huffed a half-hearted laugh. 

“Alexander,” Magnus perched on Alec’s desk, his arms folded. “There’s something I have to do.”

“What do you need?” Alec asked, walking across the room to sit next to him on the desk.

Magnus stared at Alec’s bookshelf for a long moment. “If the invasion of Alicante is going to work, we need to take down the demon towers.” 

“The plan is for a few of us to go in stealth-”

“Once you hit the first one they’ll be on you,” Magnus countered, rubbing his own arms. 

Alec frowned. “So what’s your plan?”

“It may be possible to overload the towers. They form a barrier with a current of angelic energy. If that barrier could be overloaded with magic, it would collapse for good, exploding the demon towers. With enough magic, we’d wreck the Clave’s defenses with no risk to the army or your team.” 

“Right… So… Presumably that would be enough magic to drain any warlock dry, so-”

“It would drain thirteen warlocks,” Magnus corrected him, and Alec moved to stand in front of him. 

“So it’s impossible.”

Magnus shook his head. “No, it’s not. I told you that I tore my knowledge of demonic magic from my mind. I said that I’d tell you why someday.”

“I’m getting the feeling that someday is today.” Alec said slowly.

“When I was in Edom, with my father, I was more powerful than you can imagine. I am the only living son of Asmodeus, the most powerful offspring he ever sired. I can channel his magic when I stand in Edom. I can channel his magic on this plane, if he consents to give me control. The demonic power that I was exposed to very nearly corrupted me for good. I almost caved to it. When I saw what Asmodeus was grooming me to become, I fled to this plane, and tore all knowledge of the demonic magic I’d wielded from my mind. I didn’t… I don’t… Trust myself to resist its pull. Its power.” Magnus whispered the last word, his eyes dropping to Alec’s feet.

Alec was quiet for a long moment, and Magnus squeezed his eyes shut. Was this going to be it? The moment that Alec finally recognised the monster that he was, that he’d hidden inside so carefully? “Magnus…” Alec’s fingers found the back of his neck, bringing their foreheads together. “No demonic magic could ever keep you from being the compassionate, brave, wise beacon of love that you are. You are stronger than that. You’re stronger than him. I know that.”

“Alexander… We don’t know that.”

“You resisted before, right? When you were younger and less mature. You’ll do it again.” 

Magnus chuckled. Alec had so much faith in him, unshakeable conviction that he was good and true. He thought maybe, one day, he might believe in himself half as much as Alec did. “Then you approve of this plan?” 

“I’ll come with you,” Alec promised.

“What? Alexander, no, you can’t.” 

Alec pulled back, his frown wrinkling his forehead. “But Asmodeus could do anything to you. I’m guessing you didn’t part on great terms…”

“Well no, but I’m his heir, he won’t hurt me. I’ll be fine.” Magnus assured him, rubbing his arm. 

“But-”

“I have to face him, one on one. It’s been a long time coming. It has to be me and him. This is the only way we’re going to get into Alicante.” Magnus shook his head gently. “This is one thing I have to do without you.”

Alec swallowed hard. “I’m not gonna talk you out of this, am I?” 

“No,” Magnus replied, and Alec nodded. “I can’t do the portal here. I have to go home.”

“I’ll come with you to the loft. I can do that, at least.” Alec insisted.

Magnus shook his head. “They need you here, Alec. You have to get Simon in position to take down Lilith. I’ll be alright.”

Alec watched Magnus stand and head for the door with mournful eyes. “Magnus,” he said, his chest feeling tight, “you’re gonna make it back, right?”

Magnus smiled tightly, cupping Alec’s face. “Of course I will. Look at what I have waiting for me.” He kissed Alec breathless, thumbs stroking his cheeks. When he pulled away, he swept out of the room so quickly that he’d almost disappeared around the corner by the time Alec opened his eyes. He couldn’t bear to look into Alec’s eyes and say goodbye.

~~~~~~~~~~

The elite guards called in to put Valentine down were no match for him. Though most of the freed Circle members had been killed fighting their way towards the entrance of the prison, Valentine was still going strong. Clary knew that she had to pick her moment carefully, so had stayed out of the way. When Valentine cut down the last guard, just twenty feet from the Gard’s door, Clary knew that she couldn’t wait any longer. As Valentine ran towards the thick gate, Clary followed.

“Take me with you!” She called, skidding to a halt a few feet away from him when he snapped his head around to look at her. 

Valentine raised the seraph dagger he’d snatched from Jia’s holster. “That’s one hell of a change in attitude in just a couple of hours, Clarissa.”

Clary raised her chin. “If the choice is being put to death here for protecting downworlders or getting out with you and returning to my girlfriends, I choose you and them.”

“Do you have a stele?” Valentine asked, lowering the dagger, though his eyes remained suspicious. 

Clary held up the stele she’d snagged. “Jia’s not working for you?” 

“My body is most likely still dead,” Valentine muttered, looking up at the gate. 

“But immortal. Like a vampire.” Clary mused.

“Do not compare me to a vampire.” Valentine snarled.

Clary shrugged, walking by him to open the gate. “You can’t deny that it’s true. Good luck convincing any shadowhunter supremacists into following you in this state.” 

“I’m like the shadowhunter Jesus Christ, back from the dead.” Valentine responded, “they’ll revere me.”

Clary snorted. “Right.”

“Well, what are you waiting for? Open it!” He urged, pointing the dagger at her. 

With a sigh, Clary looked him in the eye. “Don’t you wish that you’d spent your life differently, knowing now what’s waiting for all of us?” 

Valentine’s eyebrows twitched. “All I ever wanted was victory for heaven.”

“What about Mom? What about Jonathan? What about me?” Clary asked, her voice soft. “Didn’t you want better for us?” 

“You were necessary sacrifices,” Valentine answered, tearing his eyes from hers to look back up at the gate. “But now I have time to show you-”

Clary lunged forward, her stele pushing into his shoulder and sweeping across the rune she’d used before. Valentine just had time to look at her, shocked and betrayed, before he keeled backwards, dead once more. After a quick check that he was actually gone, Clary sighed in relief, leaning against the wall next to the gate. “Hail and farewell, asshole.”

When the gate opened from the other side, Clary took a step away, blinking her eyes against the sudden column of bright sunlight falling across her face. When her eyes adjusted, she saw Jia’s silhouette walking towards her. Before she could ask why Jia was there unprotected, the Consul bent over Valentine’s body. 

It wasn’t until Jia reached into Valentine’s chest that Clary realised that it was another shape-shifting demon taking the Consul’s shape, but before Clary could grab for the seraph blade that Valentine had dropped, the demon kicked it away and grabbed Clary’s ankle in an iron grip. 

“Get off of me!” Clary shouted, trying to squirm out of its hold.

“You are required,” the demon told her coolly as it tucked Valentine’s rib into it’s pocket. “You will come.”

“Like hell I will!”

The demon changed from Jia to Izzy, its arm lengthening to appear like Izzy was holding her staff. “You will come or she will die.”

Clary stopped struggling for a moment. “What are you talking about?” 

“Mother has your Isabelle Lightwood. She is safe, for now. But Mother will lose her temper if you do not come.” 

It was definitely possible that the demon from the graveyard got the drop on Izzy by pretending to be unconscious. It was possible that the demon was telling the truth. And if it wasn’t… At least she’d be back in New York, away from the Gard and the Consul. Izzy and Maia would find her. If they were still free. If they weren’t, well, Clary would save them.

“Alright,” Clary agreed, “I’ll come.”

“Ignite your blocking rune,” the demon ordered, and it was disconcerting, hearing the passionless words in Izzy’s voice.

Clary briefly considered faking it, but the demon’s eyes were flat black, and the staff sharpened at the end with Clary’s hesitation. She passed her stele over her blocking rune, and the demon snatched the stele from her and snapped it in half. “Shit,” Clary muttered as the demon produced a pair of Clave-issue handcuffs.

~~~~~~~~~~

One moment there was chaos, and the next stillness. As Aline and the two remaining Gard staff combed through the dozens of security cameras, trying to find out where Valentine had gone, Jia arrived with an elite guard that she’d managed to find alive on the way back to the security booth. “Clary went after Valentine,” she told Aline as she came into the room, tossing the crossbow she’d been holding on the empty chair next to her. “He was headed to the cells.”

“He broke out all the Circle members,” Aline explained, “and they started fighting their way through the corridors, but keeping track of them is difficult now that everything’s gone quiet. It seems like everyone out there is dead or dying.”

Jia slid into the chair next to her. “Have you checked the gate?” 

“It’s shut, that’s the first place we checked.” Aline insisted.

“No movement on the gate,” one of the guards confirmed. “Wait…” He leaned closer to the monitor. “I have eyes on Valentine.”

“What’s he doing?!” Jia demanded, both she and Aline rushing over to take a look themselves. “Is he…?”

“Dead,” Aline finished, her eyebrows furrowed. “Wind back the camera. We need to know what happened.”

As they watched the events in rewind, all their eyes widened in disbelief. They saw Jia close the gates behind, dragging Clary in handcuffs, ripping something from Valentine’s chest, then Clary killing Valentine, then father and daughter talking. “Consul… Where did you take her?” The guard asked.

“It wasn’t me,” Jia insisted, “it must have been a shapeshifter demon.” 

“One of Lilith’s,” Aline guessed, “they must be headed back to New York to do the ritual. Magnus thinks she’s trying to raise Jonathan Morgenstern. I have to get back.” She went to get up, but Jia caught her wrist. 

“Don’t,” Jia begged, “stay here, Aline.”

Aline swallowed hard, meeting her Mom’s beseeching eyes. “They need me.”

“Tell me, Aline. Are the Lightwoods planning a revolt? Is the Clave in danger? Will there be war?” 

It took a moment for Aline to make her decision, but once she had, she didn’t waste another. “No, Mama.”

Jia squeezed her wrist hard. “Swear it.”

Aline looked her straight in the eyes. “I swear.”

Jia’s eyes fluttered shut in relief, and she let Aline’s wrist go. “Thank the angel.”

“I need a portal to New York,” Aline insisted, forcing herself calm. If she started to panic, her mother would know that she’d lied. Helen and Alec would be in danger.

Jia nodded at one of the guards. “Escort her to the portal site.” Jia gave her daughter a quick smile. “Once this is over, we’ll talk. About everything.”

It took everything in Aline to swallow back the moisture in her eyes. “Okay, Mom.” She flashed her mother a weak smile, and made her retreat, her stomach trembling. Her insides felt cold, fear and shame turning her to ice. She’d made her choice. There was no turning back now. She’d chosen the revolution.

~~~~~~~~~~

“So when are we going to Alicante? Tonight?” Bat asked as Maia came through the door of the Jade Wolf, “because we’ve all eaten, we’re all ready-”

“The battle is postponed. Clary’s escaped from the Gard so we think Lilith is going to move tonight.” Maia told him and the other wolves waiting. 

“What do we care about Lilith?” Russell asked.

“Lilith is trying to raise Jonathan Morgenstern from the dead. He is a powerful demonic shadowhunter. If he comes back to life, we’ll all be fucked.” Maia pointed out. “None of you have to help if you don’t want to, I get it if you want to stay here and continue training for the battle of Alicante. But I’m going to track Clary’s scent. Anyone who wants to come can.”

The wolves all looked at each other. “So you’re going to fight Lilith? Alone?”

“No,” Maia assured them, “Simon’s going up against Lilith with that mark on his head. I’m just going to help them find Lilith’s lair and distract her cronies.”

“She has cronies?” One of the wolves asked.

“Yeah, mundanes she’s corrupted and shape-shifter demons.”

“That could be good practise,” Russell mused, “and it would give us experience fighting alongside Lightwood and his team.”

Maia nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. You interested?” 

Russell shrugged, and got to his feet. “I got all riled up for a fight. Let’s go find one.”

Maia smiled, shaking her head a little as some of the other wolves got up to join them. “Right.”

“What are we waiting for?” Bat asked, “you got something of Clary’s?”

Maia held up a shirt of Clary’s she’d had at her apartment, and passed it around the wolves.

~~~~~~~~~~

“So if you have Izzy,” Clary asked, stumbling along next to the shape-shifter demon, who was still taking Izzy’s shape as they traipsed through the streets of New York, “what happened to Alec? How did Aline escape?”

“The Lightwood boy perished,” the demon replied, so casually it knocked the breath out of Clary’s lungs, and she stopped walking for a moment. The demon hauled her along by her elbow. “Aline Penhallow fled.”

“You’re lying,” Clary begged, praying that she was right. 

The demon shrugged, pulling her a little faster. “Believe me or disbelieve me, it makes no difference.”

“Why did you kill him?” 

“He is useless. He means nothing to you, we could not use him for leverage.” 

“That is not true,” Clary insisted, her throat thickening. “Alec is like a brother to me. And I swear to god, if you’ve really killed him I will rip your throat clean out.”

The demon glanced over at her with a passive look on its face. “I fail to see how you’ll do that wearing handcuffs.” 

“Valentine underestimated me too,” Clary growled, “and I killed him. Twice.” She had to come up with a plan, she thought. Even if Alec was dead, a thought she refused to linger on for more than a moment, Maia and the shadowhunters would be tracking her. 

“You do not scare me,” the demon replied, jolting Clary along. 

An idea popped into Clary’s head, and she pretended to overbalance when the demon yanked at her arm, landing heavily on the ground. She grasped at a piece of broken glass as the demon hauled her to her feet, and squeezed it in her hand as they continued walking. The warmth of blood dripped down her hand and landed on the ground, and Clary hoped it would be enough for Maia to catch a scent.

~~~~~~~~~~

There’d been no tracking hit on Clary. Izzy shouldn’t have been surprised; Aline’s brief had told them that the shape-shifting demon that had her had forced Clary to activate her blocking rune before they left the Gard. Maia was checking in every half hour but she was running around a city of millions of people trying to find one person. She’d not caught Clary’s scent yet. 

Izzy was supposed to be taking inventory of all the weapons she’d managed to source to arm their shadowhunters against the Clave. Instead, she found herself staring out of the window, trying desperately to think of a way to rescue Clary. Luke had come in a while back, and sat next to her. Neither of them had said anything. There was nothing they could say to reassure the other, not when Clary’s fate was so uncertain.

“Part of me wishes that Clary had never learned about the shadow world,” Luke said eventually, and Izzy looked up at him. “But… She’s come alive in the past year, with you and Maia. She’s who she was always meant to be.”

Izzy smiled weakly at him, and he sighed. “She gave me strength that I never knew I had. I don’t know what I’d do without her.” 

“You won’t have to find out,” Luke insisted. “She’ll come through this, one way or another.”

“Isabelle!” 

Both Luke and Izzy turned around to see Hope panting just inside the doorway. She was bent over, her hands braced on her knees like she’d just run miles.

“We’ve got a tracking hint on Clary. It’s weak but it’s there. Alec’s calling the pack right now.”

Izzy and Luke both got to their feet, Izzy quickly putting her clipboard down on her worktop. “Where is she?!” 

“Manhattan. Helen’s putting the team together now. Aline sent me to come and find you.” Hope explained, and Izzy nodded. 

“Simon’s ready?” Luke checked.

“He’s gone to catch up with the pack,” Hope confirmed. 

Luke nodded, relief flooding through him. Simon had needed a push, and Clary being in danger was exactly that. Luke knew that Simon wouldn’t let his fear keep him from saving Clary. “I’ll join them. See you there,” he nodded at Izzy.

“Let’s go get our girl,” Izzy smiled slightly, feeling hopeful for the first time since Clary had gotten arrested.

~~~~~~~~~~

Magnus didn’t give himself a chance to think. He focussed on putting together the pentagram and the ingredients for the spell needed to ignite it. If he gave himself a moment, he’d buckle, and he couldn’t afford to give into the fear right now. 

There was a reason why he’d bound his father to Edom, there was a reason why Magnus hadn’t touched demonic magic, there was a reason why Magnus had never talked about his father. That reason was pure, unadulterated fear. Fear of losing himself, fear of the pain that Asmodeus could inflict with half a thought, fear of falling into despair, fear of the power that he was opening himself up to once more. 

Magnus was scared. More scared than he’d been in centuries. He had no idea how Asmodeus was going to receive him. The last time Magnus had seen him, Asmodeus had promised Magnus revenge for trapping him. 

He was relieved that Alec wasn’t here to see him tremble. 

As scared as Magnus was, he knew it was nothing compared to the fear he would feel if he sent Alec and his team to their deaths taking down the demon towers. He had no choice but to face his father if he wanted Alec to have a chance at surviving this revolution. He needed this revolution to succeed. For Alec, for Raphael, for Madzie, Catarina, Izzy, Dot, Clary, Luke, Maia, Simon, Raj… For everyone. They all deserved freedom. 

And maybe he deserved freedom, too. Maybe he deserved freedom from this choking fear of his father he’d been honing for centuries. After all, the key to overcoming your fear was facing it, wasn’t it?

Finally, Magnus couldn’t put it off any longer. He’d double and triple checked the spellbooks, and he was ready to ignite the pentagram. He glanced at his desk, where his journal sat. The thought had crossed his mind that he’d write Alec a letter, just in case… 

But he’d promised. 

Magnus squared his shoulders, and lit the pentagram. He was going to do this, and he was going to return to Alexander, and together they were going to bring down the Clave once and for all. And maybe after that they’d live happily ever after.

The thought of that helped Magnus keep his nerve as he stepped into the fire, squeezing his eyes shut as he sank down through the flames. When he felt the heat melt away, he opened his eyes to see Edom’s burnt orange sky. Asmodeus’ palace was on the horizon, and Magnus stood very still for a moment, like it would keep Asmodeus from sensing his presence. When no asmodei came to raze him where he stood, Magnus took a step forward. He turned his focus once more to Alec, forcing himself to relive the quiet moments they’d shared over the past year, filling his conscious mind with calm to ward off the choking fear growing with every step towards his father he took.

~~~~~~~~~~ 

“Where is she?!” Clary demanded, struggling in the shape-shifting demon’s hold as it hauled her out of the elevator. She looked around wildly, ignoring the mundanes as her eyes scanned the large room for Izzy.

“Clarissa Morgenstern.” 

Clary realised with a sinking heart that Izzy wasn’t here. She glanced at the woman who’d spoken, assuming that she was Lilith. She wore a dark, vaguely shiny dress, her hair pitch black and deathly straight. Clary ground her teeth together. “Where is Izzy?” 

“Who?” Lilith asked, her lips twitching. 

“You-” Clary lunged for the demon who was still pulling her into the room, grasping for its hair. The demon turned to black smoke, rematerializing as a stranger across the room. 

“Didn’t the shadowhunters ever tell you never to take a demon at their word?” Lilith sighed, stepping deliberately towards her. 

“Are they safe? Izzy and Maia?” 

“I have no idea,” Lilith said coolly, “and it doesn’t concern me. The only thing that concerns me is my son, who you and your little gang murdered in cold blood.”

“In cold blood?! He almost killed me!” Clary spat, “he is a monster. Just like his parents.” 

Lilith smacked Clary in the face, her head flying to the side with the force of it. She tasted coppery blood in her mouth, and licked at the cut in her lip. “My beautiful boy is no monster!”

“Of course you’d think that,” Clary chuckled breathlessly, “aren’t you like, Queen Bitch?” 

“You,” Lilith sneered, her hand rising like she wanted to choke Clary, lip curling, “are more like your father than you want to see.”

“Then you’ll know not to underestimate me,” Clary warned. 

Lilith laughed. “You think I feared Valentine? He was a sad, angry, puny little mortal. He was a means to an end. Speaking of which,” she held up a finger, turning to the shape-shifter demon, “did you retrieve his flesh?” 

“For you, mother,” the shape-shifting demon bowed deeply, offering Valentine’s rib to her. 

“Excellent. We have everything we need to raise my beautiful boy. You,” Lilith pointed to one of the mundanes, and as she stepped forward, Clary recognised Luke’s partner, Ollie. “Take Clarissa and tidy her up. She needs to be looking her best for her brother’s moment of glory.”

Ollie took hold of Clary’s handcuffs and pulled her through a door off to the side of the room. Once in the smaller room, Clary blew her hair out of her face, trying to meet Ollie’s eyes. 

“Hey, Ollie, look at me. I’m Luke’s daughter. You remember Luke? Your partner? Come on, look at me. You don’t want to hurt me.”

“Mother didn’t tell me hurt you,” Ollie answered, putting Clary in a chair next to a large basin of water. “She told me to clean you up.” 

“Lilith is not your Mom,” Clary reminded her desperately, “you know that.”

Ollie took hold of a washcloth, getting it wet and squeezing the excess water off. “Mother loves us more than anyone on Earth.”

“Come on, Ollie, that’s not-” Clary spluttered when Ollie pressed the cool, damp cloth to her face, wiping off the grime and blood from her time in the Gard. “Ollie, you gotta give me something. You were forced to kill your mother, you remember that? Lilith made you do that, she doesn’t care about you.”

“Lilith loves us all, her children. You will be her child soon. Once your friends are slain and our brother has returned, we will be complete, and happy.”

“What do you mean… My friends are slain? What’s Lilith planning?” Clary demanded, giving in and letting Ollie clean off her face and arms. 

Ollie smiled slightly. “The shifters have been granted new powers to keep us safe. They will descend and put an end to the people who would tear our family apart. Mother wants us to feel safe.”

“So the shape-shifting demons have become more powerful?!” 

“You are not in danger,” Ollie assured her, “you will bring brother back. You must be looked after.”

Somehow that didn’t make Clary feel any better.

~~~~~~~~~~ 

The shadowhunters caught up with Maia, Simon and Luke across the street from a skyscraper. Maia was talking to the pack, who seemed eager to help. Luke and Simon were talking urgently a few metres away from the others, Simon casting worried glances towards the pack, who were all pointedly ignoring him in favour of listening to Maia.

“None of us are battle strategists,” Maia was saying, “it’s best if we wait until the shadowhunters get here.”

“We’re here,” Alec assured her, coming up behind her.

She smiled at him over her shoulder, looking more relaxed than she had the last time Alec had seen her. “Clary’s been taken up to the top. Take a look, you can see that the top three floors aren’t meant to be there.”

It was difficult for Alec to see the top of the skyscraper standing so close, so he activated his bird’s eye rune. Maia was right; the top three floors were a completely different colour than the rest of the building, not to mention that it was hanging over the edge of the sleek skyscraper like it was too big to fit snugly on top. “That has to be Lilith’s lair.”

“Yeah, looks like,” Maia agreed, folding her arms. “So what’s the plan?” 

“The skyscraper is filled with mundanes,” Izzy told them, touching Maia’s back gently as she walked up. “Lilith’s using them as human shields. We can’t just mount an assault on the whole building.”

Maia hummed, giving Izzy a little squeeze in greeting. “Easy. Just pull the fire alarm.”

“And you said you weren’t a strategist,” Alec teased. “That’ll fit nicely into Helen’s plan.” He said, waving her over.

“We should send Simon up to figure out what we’re dealing with. He’s got vamp speed and an automatic defense if anything tries to attack him.” Helen recommended, smiling encouragingly at Simon as he and Luke came over to join the group. 

“What, you want me to do recon?” 

“Exactly,” Alec nodded, “just recon. You don’t have to take on anyone by yourself. Just go and find out how many shape-shifter demons she has up there and what she’s doing with Clary, if you can get that far.”

“I can do that,” Simon promised, “I’ll be right back.”

“In the meantime, are the pack here to fight?” Alec asked as Simon darted off across the street.

“Of course we are,” Russell insisted, “we don’t want that Morgenstern freak getting brought back from the dead.”

“Most of the people fighting for Lilith are going to be possessed mundanes,” Izzy explained to the assembled wolves, “we have to be careful to avoid killing them. When Lilith is banished back to Edom by Simon, her grasp on them should lift.”

“So we need to knock them out, like, as gently as possible?” Bat surmised, and Izzy nodded. 

“Teeth and claws weren’t exactly designed as stun weapons,” another of the wolves piped up.

“They’re right,” Maia sighed, “I don’t know that the pack will be well suited to fighting mundanes. How about those shape-shifting demons? We can fight those instead.”

“We’re probably gonna need as much help as we can get with the demons,” Alec agreed. “Okay, Helen and Izzy, you lead the other shadowhunters in fighting the mundanes.”

“Get me a couple of seraph daggers and I can help them too,” Luke insisted.

“If you cut yourself with one of them-”

“I won’t,” Luke snorted, “I was wielding daggers for twenty years, Alec, I’ve got this.”

“If you’re sure,” Alec nodded. “Raj and I will fight with the pack. That good with you, Maia?” 

“Sounds like a plan,” Maia agreed. “What are we gonna do if Lilith comes down here?”

“She won’t,” Izzy shrugged, “she’ll want to protect the ritual herself.”

“I don’t mean to be rude,” Bat raised his hand, “but… Are we really gonna make Simon banish Lilith on his own? I know he’s got that mark thing, but… He’s not exactly a fighter.”

“I don’t like sending him up there on his own either,” Raj admitted, “but it’s too dangerous. If one of us got caught up in the blast we wouldn’t survive.”

Bat bit the inside of his cheek, nodding. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Simon will be fine,” Alec assured them all, “nothing can touch him.”

“While we’re waiting, Mr Head of the Institute,” Russell piped up, “where are the warlocks and vampires?”

“They’re all working on battle plans for the assault on Alicante.” Alec told him. “We want to be prepared, we want to minimise casualties.”

“Even Magnus Bane?” Russell asked pointedly, “it seems strange that he’s not here to protect you.”

Alec bristled, but he forced a smile. “Magnus is doing everything he can to make sure that this revolution is a success. I promise you that.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Magnus didn’t let himself hesitate as he walked up to the palace. He strode into the main room, charred black, with books strewn all over the place. Asmodeus’ throne of wrought black iron stood where it always had, though the man himself was nowhere to be seen. A smaller throne still stood next to it, plush with black velvet. Magnus remembered it being a lot bigger. He forgot, sometimes, just how young he’d been when Asmodeus had him sitting on that throne. 

Being here, after all this time, and seeing that nothing had changed, was both reassuring and terrifying. The centuries that had passed would feel like a drop in the ocean to Asmodeus; what if his anger hadn’t calmed?

“Who dares enter the domain of Asmodeus, the King of Lust?”

Irritation flared in Magnus’ chest. “Who do you think?” He snapped, folding his arms. “You sensed my presence the moment I stepped foot on this plane, Father.”

“Be still my beating heart... Is that my beautiful boy?” Asmodeus’ voice echoed around the room. “I barely recognise you! After all,” Magnus whirled around when he felt a breath on the back of his neck, but there was no-one there. When he turned to face the throne again, Asmodeus was sitting in it. “I haven’t seen you in over 350 years.”

Magnus said nothing, tensing as Asmodeus slowly got up from the throne. 

“My lovely son,” Asmodeus purred as he walked towards Magnus, outstretching his hand to grip Magnus’ chin in his fingers. “You look altogether too serious for such a joyous occasion.” 

“I wouldn’t call it joyous,” Magnus said, jerking his face from Asmodeus’ grasp.

“Now, now, Magnus, don’t talk down on yourself so,” Asmodeus chided, booping Magnus’ nose with a fond smile. “I’ve been waiting for your apology for centuries, and I will accept it graciously. After all,” he sighed, “we are family.”

Magnus’ temper flared before he could think better of it. “You think I’m here to apologise to you?!”

Where Asmodeus’ eyes were previously gleeful, they were suddenly dark. “Tread carefully, Magnus.”

“What do you expect me to apologise for?! Refusing to murder in your name any longer? Not blithely accepting the psychological hell you threw me into when I was too young to cope with it?! The inescapable fear of intimacy you instilled in me?!”

“I expect you,” Asmodeus’ voice was like thunder, the ground trembling at the sound of it, “to apologise for forsaking my fatherly love, and locking me in this barren wasteland for three centuries!”

“Your fatherly love?!”

“I took you in when no-one else wanted you!” A strong gale of wind blew from Asmodeus’ body, barrelling into Magnus and sending him reeling backwards, feet sliding against the floor. “You were nothing before I met you! I molded you into the man you are today! I bred you to be the most powerful warlock on the mundane plane and this is how you thank me?!”

Magnus tried desperately to hold onto his anger. “You made my life hell!”

Asmodeus threw back his head and laughed, the wind ceasing all at once. “My sweet, stupid boy. You were made for hell. Your life will always be… Hell.”

“I don’t believe that anymore.” Magnus told him, standing up a little straighter. 

“You don’t?” Asmodeus asked, skepticism obvious in his voice. “Are you sure?” 

“I’m not the young man who was so easily manipulated by you anymore. I grew up.”

“And yet here you stand,” Asmodeus drawled, gesturing to Magnus grandly, “running back home to… What? Beg me to settle one of your childish little rivalries?”

“I have people that matter to me now. I have a family. I have people who love me unconditionally, for the good that they see inside my heart.” Magnus insisted, “and I am here for them.”

Asmodeus’ eyebrows furrowed, his head tilting to the side. “To what end?”

“I… Need to ask you… For a favour.” Magnus admitted, the words almost physically paining him to say.

For a moment there was silence. The air seemed to shimmer with the tension as father and son made eye contact. “You…” Asmodeus growled, “thought you could walk in here, after all this time, and downplay all I gave you…? And then… Ask me for a FAVOUR?!” The demon may well have been spitting fire, because the air that snarled from his mouth was like flames on Magnus’ skin. He brought his hands up to protect himself, an old reflex, and took a step back.

“You owe me!” Magnus shouted back, “you owe me a debt!” 

“A debt?!” Asmodeus sounded like he could barely believe what he was hearing. “You little-”

“I spared your life! I could have razed this place to the ground!” Magnus reminded him. “I chose to bind you here rather than destroy this plane. I chose to let you live.”

“And why would you do that, if I was so terrible to you?!” Asmodeus sneered.

Magnus hated himself for the words he was about to say. “Because for some reason I don’t understand, despite everything, I hoped, someday, that you would be… Proud of me.”

“I will be,” Asmodeus said, “when you take your rightful place as Prince of Edom.” 

“You should have realised by now that that is never going to happen,” Magnus answered.

Asmodeus narrowed his eyes, mouth curving into a cunning smile. “Ask me for this favour you desire.”

“I need your consent to channel your magic on the mundane plane. The shadowhunters and downworlders have come together to defeat the Clave once and for all, and I need the extra power to bring down Alicante’s demon towers.” Magnus explained quickly, hoping that his father would approve of the idea to bring down the Clave and grant him the necessary powers.

“To bring down the Clave?” Asmodeus looked impressed. “My, my, you are ambitious.”

“If you give me these powers, the victory is ours.”

“And if I don’t?” Asmodeus asked, genuine curiosity in his face.

Magnus swallowed hard. Asmodeus would know if he lied, but he couldn’t bare to speak Alec’s name in such a terrible place as this. “Then a lot of innocent people will die.”

“People die in war,” Asmodeus pointed out off-handedly, “there’s something you’re not telling me. Someone very important to you is in danger, I think.”

“What do you care?” Magnus snapped.

Asmodeus shrugged. “If you’d tell me who this is really about, perhaps my sympathy for your situation would grow.”

Magnus doubted that very much, but he didn’t see that he had another choice. “A man I love very much is in charge of the shadowhunter forces. If I don’t disable those towers myself, he will have to lead a dangerous mission with a small group to take them all down. He… He most likely wouldn’t survive.”

“So you come here for the love of a mortal? A shadowhunter mortal, no less?” Asmodeus clicked his tongue. “Magnus, that is… Deeply disappointing.”

“I don’t care about your disappointment, are you going to help me or not?” Magnus demanded, irritation flaring in him.

“Tell me how you came to love a shadowhunter. They are a blight on that plane, and you used to know it.”

“Alexander is different,” Magnus insisted, “he’s not… He hates the Clave as much as any downworlder. As a Lightwood he had a path-”

“A Lightwood?” Asmodeus interrupted, his eyebrows furrowed deeply. “There is a prophecy-”

“His sister has angel blood and the power to turn back time, yes, I am aware.”

“The power to turn back time?” Asmodeus repeated, shaking his head. “My, my, my. Perhaps your romantic alliance with that bloodline is not so foolish.”

“Father,” Magnus said firmly, “are you going to help me or not?”

Asmodeus looked at him steadily for a few moments. “Yes, I will,” he said slowly, “on one condition.” 

“What do you want?” Magnus sighed, rubbing his forehead. 

“What I’ve always wanted, my darling boy. You, on this throne,” he gestured to the throne next to his, which was slowly growing in size, “ruling besides me.”

Magnus shook his head. “I can’t do that. Anything but that. I can’t leave Alexander. There has to be something else, father. Anything.” 

Asmodeus let out a long sigh, casting his eyes to the burnt orange sky for a beat. An idea came to him, and his smile turned wicked. “Oh, you know, I have just the thing…”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Okay, so,” Simon appeared next to Alec, slightly out of breath. “They’re all on the top floor. Lilith was doing this weird thing, like she was…” He shivered ever so slightly.

“What was she doing?!” Maia demanded.

“She was making out with them!”

“Wait, what?!” Alec asked, appalled. “The mundanes?” 

“No, I think it was the shape-shifters,” Simon explained, “she had them, like, lined up for a kiss. It was… Weird.”

Luke was looking at Simon with a mix of disbelief and disappointment. “So did you get anything else, or were you too busy watching Lilith kiss people?!”

“Of course I did,” Simon assured them, “Clary was in a room off to the side with Ollie, I think.”

“Didn’t Lilith possess the mundanes using a kiss?” Raj asked Luke, who nodded.

“That’s presumably how she pushes her presence into them.” Izzy agreed. “So she’s pumping more power into the shape-shifters.”

“Good thing we have the pack, then,” Maia said, “we’ve got this.”

“How many shape-shifters were there?” Alec asked Simon.

“Like a dozen, I think. Not as many as there were mundanes. I could tell the difference because the mundanes weren’t lined up. They were just stood around the edge of the big room, like they were waiting for orders.”

“Right,” Alec said decisively, “I want Izzy, Luke and Helen taking down the mundanes. There are nine of them, including Ollie, three each. Remember we’re looking for knockouts, not casualties. Me and Raj will join the pack in fighting the shape-shifters, they’ll be a lot harder to take down.”

“What do you want me to do?” Simon asked.

“I want you to take Clary a stele. That’s all she needs to get herself free and out of there. Tell her to run to us as soon as she’s free, she needs to be as far away as possible from Lilith.”

“Wait, you want me to face Lilith alone?” 

“Simon, if anyone else is up there with you, they could get hurt.” Maia pointed out.

“But she’s too smart to just attack me! She knows that I killed two of her mundanes, she’s not just gonna come at me, is she?!” Simon panicked.

Alec scratched his forehead. “Hopefully she’ll lose her temper when you free Clary.”

“Hopefully?!”

“We don’t have time to debate this,” Helen pointed out, jogging up to them. She’d been across the street keeping an eye on the building. “They’ve noticed that the mundanes are gone, the possessed mundanes and shape-shifters are on their way down.”

“Oh, God,” Simon whispered. Raj grabbed his shirt and yanked him into a kiss. Luke looked at Alec, eyebrows raised.

“Go be Han Solo.” Raj mumbled to him, pressing a stele into Simon’s hand, “you got this.”

Simon swallowed hard. “Okay. Okay… Alright.”

“Good luck, Simon. Make us proud.” Luke urged, and Simon smiled weakly at him before darting off.

~~~~~~~~~~

Asmodeus had disappeared to give Magnus time to think about his decision. It was a strangely thoughtful move, and it made Magnus suspicious. 

It made no sense for Asmodeus to want to take Magnus’ magic away. Magnus was trying desperately to figure out what his father’s bigger play was, but he couldn’t see any logic in it. He wanted Magnus to rule beside him, but he also wanted to take Magnus’ magic and immortality away? 

Magnus paced back and forth the throne room as he thought about it. Maybe Asmodeus had never wanted Magnus himself, but his power. Maybe this just cut out the middle man, as it were. With Magnus’ magic added to his own, Asmodeus would be more of a threat to Lilith, after all. Perhaps this wasn’t about Magnus at all.

Did it even matter? Magnus needed this deal. Alec would mostly likely die if he didn’t bring down the demon towers. He couldn’t walk away from this deal, he couldn’t lose Alec. It didn’t matter what his father wanted, he’d have to give it. If Magnus went through with this deal, he would be mortal and mundane, but at least he’d have Alec. 

He tried to imagine what life would look like. He didn’t have to worry about the warlocks; they were Lorenzo’s responsibility now. Catarina and Ragnor would be heartbroken to hear that they only had a few decades left with him, but they’d get through it. Alec would stay with him, Magnus knew that. Alec would love him with or without his magic. He wouldn’t be able to portal anymore. If they did bring down the Clave, Alec would have to move to Alicante. Would Magnus go with him? How would they see each other?

Alec would figure it out, they would figure it out together, Magnus told himself.

He conjured some balls of magic, watching them float above his hands. It would be awful. It would be a nightmare to lose his magic, to become mundane. 

But at least he’d have Alec.

~~~~~~~~~~

Clary was surprised that Lilith sent all of the demons and mundanes down to meet whatever force Izzy and Maia had sent to help her. Though, she supposed, Lilith wouldn’t need much help to fight some shadowhunters and werewolves. Lilith was talking quietly to the black marble coffin out on the balcony. It was impossible for Clary to hear what she was saying from inside. She took the opportunity to look around for some kind of advantage. Izzy’s voice came to her, the memories of their lessons in the training rooms urging her to scan the room for something sharp, or something heavy. Without a stele, though, Clary didn’t have a hope in hell against the Queen of Hell.

The only weapon she had was her mouth.

“There’s one thing I don’t understand!” Clary called, loud enough for Lilith to hear. 

Lilith turned her head so that Clary could see her profile.

“If you loved Jonathan so much, why didn’t you help him when we were gutting him on that bridge?” 

Lilith pressed her hand to her lips, and then lowered the hand to touch the coffin. Once the kiss had been pressed into the marble, she swept around, her dress whirling around her. Clary straightened up, bracing herself for another slap. “I saw what you did to him,” Lilith snarled, “and if I could have saved him I would have! And you, Clary Fairchild, are lucky that you are necessary to this ritual, because if you weren’t-”

“Right,” Clary cut over her, her tone curious, “so how did you get here, if you were so powerless to come save Jonathan?”

“My darling boy summoned me with his own blood. My blood. With his last breath, he cried out for my help.” Lilith’s gaze was distant. “All that time… Wondering if he truly loved me…”

Clary snorted. “So he’s using you for revenge. Sounds about right.”

“He is not using me for anything I do not already want to do!” 

“Right.”

Lilith’s eye twitched. 

“If it makes you feel better, he manipulated me, too.” Clary whispered like it was a secret.

“I wish,” Lilith said quietly, ferocity dripping from every letter, “that I could wrench your head from your shoulders.”

Clary sighed dramatically, shrugging her shoulders as if to say ‘what can you do?’ 

Lilith turned her back on her, and returned to the balcony, and Jonathan’s side. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Alec, Raj and the wolves led the shape-shifting demons around the side of the building and into the alley. They wanted to keep the possessed mundanes away from the demons, just in case. Maia turned first, the other wolves following soon after as they established their position in the alley. Alec fired two arrows at one of the demons, but it had no effect. 

“They must be similar to Azazel,” Alec told Raj and he yanked two arrows from his quiver to use as weapons.

“Where was his weak spot?” 

“Between T8 and T9,” Alec answered, licking his lips nervously as the demon headed towards him changed shape. It didn’t throw him to see Magnus; he’d been expecting the demon to take the shape of his boyfriend. The demonic Magnus ran towards him, his hand morphing to include a broadsword. Alec was just grateful that the demon didn’t have the ability to mimic Magnus’ magic. 

He ducked the demonic Magnus’ first swing, sticking it in the leg with one of his arrows and yanking it back out just as fast. The voice was just like Magnus’, and Alec tried not to let it’s cry of pain get to him. He focussed on dodging the blows, sticking the demon with his arrows when he could, though he couldn’t get to the core.

The shape-shifters fighting the wolves were struggling to decide on their shapes; it made them difficult for the wolves to get a decent hold of. Every time one would try to bite, the demon would change shape and the wolf’s jaws would clamp down on air. Russell managed to get one by the throat, and with Maia’s help tore its head off. The demon’s body evaporated with a piercing shriek.

Raj noticed the demon fall, and adjusted his tactics. The demon fighting him was shaped like Sebastian. He assumed it was meant to make him second-guess his attacks, but if anything, it had just pissed him off. Raj attacked with such ferocity that the shape-shifter stumbled back a step. It didn’t have the same skill with a blade as Sebastian had. He knew he could beat it.

~~~~~~~~~~

Clary was honestly getting kinda bored. Lilith had ignored her other outbursts and statements, keeping her back to her. Clary had no idea what exactly Lilith was doing, but she knew the more time passed, the more likely it was that Lilith was going to raise Jonathan. She took a little step backwards when Lilith came back into the room holding a small but incredibly sharp-looking knife.

“Don’t tell me that the famous Clary Fairchild is losing her nerve over a simple blade,” Lilith gloated, reaching out to grasp Clary’s hair at the base of her skull. “It’s time to welcome your brother back.”

“Go to hell,” Clary snarled, trying to snap her teeth at the hand that was holding the knife. She wasn’t above biting Lilith’s fingers off, and Lilith knew it.

Suddenly, there was a stiff breeze, and the knife disappeared from Lilith’s hand. Both Clary and Lilith looked wildly around. When Clary saw Simon, a grin spread across her face, but when Lilith saw Simon, her face paled. She knotted her fingers in Clary’s hair more tightly, and wrenched her sideways to provide a human shield against Simon and his mark of Cain.

“Let her go!” Simon shouted, “or I’ll blow up Jonathan’s coffin!”

“You can’t,” Lilith shook her head, “I know how that seelie trick of yours works. It only flares when you are attacked.”

“And if you use Clary to bring Jonathan back he will attack me and I will kill him once and for all.”

“If you kill Jonathan once the rune has been given to this,” Lilith yanked on Clary’s hair, “shadowhunter, she will die too. Their bodies will be one, suffering the same injuries. They both live or they both die.”

Simon tried to make eye contact with Clary, but she was too busy glaring at Lilith out of the corner of her eye. “Clary,” he gritted out, “look at me!”

Clary’s eyes moved to look at Simon, who waved his right hand at her. Her eyebrows furrowing, she moved her right hand, her eyebrows raising when she felt the cool metal of a stele.

“What is this?!” Lilith demanded. “Stop that, daylighter!”

With Lilith’s attention on Simon, Clary managed to turn the stele to point at the cuffs on her wrists, unlocking them with a touch. She spun under Lilith’s arm to disentangle her hair as she drew a sunlight rune into her palm and shone it in Lilith’s face. With a scream, she let Clary go, stumbling backwards.

“Simon! Get to the coffin!” Clary ordered, “break it!”

“No!” Lilith screeched, staggering towards the coffin.

~~~~~~~~~~

“I don’t know how sustainable the ‘no killing’ thing is, Iz!” Helen shouted, ducking into a forward roll to dodge the attacks of the two possessed mundanes trying to rip her throat out.

“We are not killing them!” Luke insisted, knocking Ollie in the head with the butt of his seraph dagger. 

Ollie crumpled to the ground, and Helen and Izzy both sighed in relief to see that it was possible to render the mundanes unconscious. With renewed hope, the three of them fought in a triangle, back-to-back.

~~~~~~~~~~

Alec was so focussed on the fight he was waging with the Magnus-lookalike, he faltered when the demon changed form. The sight of himself at age sixteen, before his transition, shocked him, and his defense was too slow to catch up. That version of him, the closeted version, caught him in the neck with an arrow of their own, and sent Alec reeling backwards, dropping one of his arrows to grasp his throat. It wasn’t deep, but the cut was bleeding heavily.

“Alec!” He heard Raj cry out as the demonic version of him kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying backwards. Alec wheezed, the breath knocked out of him as he hit the ground, flat on his back. 

“Seems that pumping yourself full of mundane chemicals weakened you,” the demon snarled, climbing on top of him. Alec grabbed for the arrow in the demon’s hands, but the demon was stronger. It brought an arrow to press into his chest, snarling in his face as the arrow slowly pierced his skin. Alec screamed out, eyes bulging at the hot, searing pain. “How does it feel to lose, S-”

The demon was blasted so violently that it exploded in a bloody mist. Alec gasped for breath but nothing came. He grasped the ground, looking for a stele.

I can’t leave Magnus like this, Alec thought, sobbing, praying that he’d find his stele before-

“Alexander,” Magnus was there, suddenly, and Alec passed out.

~~~~~~~~~~

There were only three possessed mundanes left standing, but Luke was starting to tire. Izzy and Helen had stamina runes, so they were still going strong, but Luke was struggling. He was still adjusting to the loss of his alpha strength, and it had been a hard fight.

“I’m getting too old for this,” he grumbled, rubbing his cheek where one of the mundanes had just landed a punch. 

All of a sudden, the last three mundanes dropped to the ground like puppets with their strings cut, and Izzy, Helen and Luke heard a loud boom. After a second, Maia appeared in her wolf form, bursting through the glass wall next to Izzy and heading without hesitation for the stairwell. Izzy ran after her without a backwards glance, her mind on Clary.

“We have to get the mundanes out of here, just in case,” Luke panted, and Helen nodded, immediately heaving one of the unconscious mundanes up over her shoulder.

The other wolves came in through the hole that Maia had left, Russell turning back to his human form. He didn’t mind the nudity, and Helen ignored him until he spoke.

“Alec’s been hurt.”

“How badly?” Luke demanded.

“Is Raj with him?” Helen asked. Raj would’ve been able to apply a healing rune.

“Yeah, and Magnus is healing him up. He came out of nowhere and blasted those bastard shape-shifters to kingdom come.” Russell assured them, his eyes moving around the room. “Need a hand?” 

“Yeah, thanks,” Helen nodded, her eyes stubbornly on his face. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Clary woke up on the floor, her back against a charred wall. The first thing she thought was of Simon, and she lifted her head to look around for him. He was sitting next to her, looking just as groggy as she felt. She sighed in relief, reaching out her hand to touch his. “Simon.”

“Hey,” Simon mumbed, “damn, my head hurts.”

Clary giggled deliriously, closing her eyes. 

“Clary?! Clary?!” Izzy sounded panicked, and Clary raised her hand.

“I’m good, I’m okay,” Clary called out, bringing her stele to her arm to activate a healing rune. Her head was pounding. She felt a puff of air on her face, and she opened her eyes to see Maia in wolf form standing over her. “Hey, you’re both okay.” She sighed, reaching up to scratch the fur on Maia’s shoulder. 

“What happened?” Izzy asked, looking around the burnt-out room.

“I blasted Lilith,” Simon told them, “managed to turn so my back was to Clary, and Lilith must’ve been strong as hell because we both went flying backwards. And here we are.”

“It looks like this place has been burned to the ground.” 

“Yeah, it was pretty hot in here for a minute,” Clary grinned, grunting softly as she tried to get up. Maia put her paw on Clary’s chest, making sure she stayed sitting down. Clary sighed and slumped back against the wall.

The sound of a portal made Maia and Izzy turn their heads, and Alec and Magnus emerged, Alec looking a little pale but otherwise alright. Izzy got to her feet and ran towards him, giving him a tight hug. 

“What the hell happened to you?” Izzy demanded, “I felt…”

“One of the demons stabbed him through the heart,” Magnus explained grimly, “I managed to fix it, but he’s going to need to take it easy for a few days.”

“I’ll be fine after a couple of healing runes,” Alec croaked, smiling over at Clary and Simon. “So you did it, huh?”

“Well, Simon did.” Clary corrected him. “Hey, Maia, there’s my prison clothes in the room next door, they should be okay for you to wear.”

Maia nodded and padded over to the door. Magnus rushed to open it for her, and closed it behind her once she’d passed through the doorway. 

“What about Jonathan?” Alec asked, leading Izzy over to the black marble coffin, which was still intact, if a little cracked. Sure enough, Jonathan’s body was cradled in what seemed to be black blood. 

Magnus conjured a torch that burned green. “Magic fire. This’ll destroy his body and cleanse the demonic power from the coffin.” 

“Let me do it,” Clary piped up as Simon helped her to her feet. She felt better once she was standing, her strength returning to her thanks to the healing rune. 

“Wait for me,” Maia piped up, emerging from the other room wearing Clary’s prison jumpsuit. “I wanna see the asshole burn with my own eyes.”

Magnus handed the torch to Clary, and all of them gathered around the coffin to watch as Clary lowered the flame, holding it against Jonathan’s body until it caught. “What is it you shadowhunters say?” Magnus murmured, his arm looping around Alec’s waist. 

“Hail and farewell,” Raj said from behind them, and they all turned to look. He looked exhausted, his face smeared with demon ichor. He trudged up to the coffin, his eyes unreadable as he watched Jonathan burn. “That’s what we say.”

Simon’s fingers wrapped gently around his hand.


	6. Episode 6: The Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY, we get to see the downfall of the Clave! This is an incredibly action-packed and heavy chapter, have the tissues ready! I'm gonna post some non-spoilery trigger warnings here, but if you need to be fully warned about everything before reading, feel free to scroll down to the end notes - I'll post the necessary spoilers there.
> 
> Trigger warnings for:
> 
> Complex feelings about parents: Aline is still feeling guilt about betraying her mother even though she’s right to. Alec and Izzy experience some conflicting feelings about Robert after the battle.
> 
> Manipulation: Izzy encourages Raj to use the secret to becoming a daylighter to convince Raphael to lend their forces some vampire fighters. It works.
> 
> Violence: This chapter is absolutely saturated with violence. The middle third of it depicts a huge battle between the downworld and the Clave. A lot of Clave shadowhunters are blasted with magic or the Mark of Cain. There’s a severe violent moment when Robert and Clary face each other. There’s another when Alec and Magnus embrace at the end of the battle.
> 
> Dead bodies: There are a lot of references to dead bodies lying about the battlefield, but most are not described. There is one character who’s described as having ‘half her face blown off’ but it’s not described more than that.
> 
> Death/grief: There are at least six deaths described in varying degrees of detail in this chapter, and several characters are seen reacting to these deaths. Check end note for spoilers, if needed.
> 
> Suicide: One of the council members kills himself with an explosion rune.
> 
> Panic/disassociation: Magnus experiences severe disassociation about ⅔ of the way through the chapter, but Raphael and Alec are there for him. Hope also experiences severe disassociation in the scene after Magnus’, but Clary comforts her.
> 
> Vomiting: In the scene between Clary, Simon and Hope, Clary notices that Hope’s been sick.

Aline woke with a shudder, sweat tacky on the back of her neck and the crooks of her elbows. The dream she’d been having evaporated into mist as she panted into the dark room, and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to remember what it was that had left her heart pounding. 

“Babe?” Helen asked, her voice slow with sleep. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Aline twisted and threw her legs over the side of the bed, rubbing her face. “Yeah, go back to sleep.”

Helen hummed, stirring and sitting up to rub Aline’s back. “Stress dream?”

“I think so,” Aline admitted begrudgingly, “you don’t have to-”

“And leave you to freak out by yourself? Not likely,” Helen huffed, tipping her head to rest on the back of Aline’s shoulder. “You want some water?”

“Yeah,” Aline answered, “I’ll get it.” 

She got up so fast that Helen almost fell sprawling where she was leaning against Aline. Her room in the Institute wasn’t so familiar yet that she could navigate it without seeing, so she squinted through the darkness to find her way. There was a bottle of water on the dresser, and Aline unscrewed it and gulped down a few mouthfuls, squeezing her eyes shut hard to shake off the last of the anxiety. 

“You’re feeling guilty about your Mom, aren’t you?” Helen asked, sounding a little more awake now.

“I guess my subconscious does,” Aline sighed. 

“This’ll all be over soon,” Helen reassured her, “one way or the other.”

Aline swallowed hard. “That doesn’t make me feel better. The best case scenario I can hope for is that Mom gets captured and is imprisoned for life. And I’ll have put her there.” 

“That’s not true,” Helen insisted, getting up from the bed and crossing to take Aline’s shoulders in her hands, “she will have put herself there by abusing downworlders. Her actions are not your fault, her fate won’t be either.”

“I know that she deserves everything she has coming to her, but…” 

“She’s still the woman who raised you,” Helen finished softly, rubbing Aline’s arms. 

“I adored her when I was a little girl. She was my hero. We used to be a team. I don’t understand how it got this screwed up.” Aline leaned over to turn the light on and sat down on the bed. 

Helen sighed, and sat down next to her. “It changed when you started thinking for yourself. When you realised that what Professor Fell was teaching you at the Academy was the truth, and that shadowhunters are more flawed than they’d have you believe. You forged your own values, that were based on what you believed was right, rather than just mindlessly following what your Mom told you was right. You should be proud of yourself for that. I’m proud of you.”

Aline smiled slightly and pressed her forehead to Helen’s temple. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Helen told her. “And you know I get where you’re coming from. With my relationship with my Mom…” She sighed, shaking her head. “It was like she always had this plan for me, like there was a path I was supposed to be walking that only she could see. And she died before I could learn what it was that she wanted from me. It still haunts me. I wonder if I’m doing what she wanted, what she expected of me. But I guess we can’t live our lives worrying about what everyone expects of us. We have to forge our own path. That’s what we’re doing, together.”

“I think she’d be proud of you,” Aline said, rubbing Helen’s knee. “The way you’ve worked to improve relations between shadowhunters and the downworld the way only you could. You have a lot to be proud of, Hel.”

Helen smiled ruefully, squeezing Aline tight. “We have each other, and we’re doing the right thing. That’s all that matters. We’ll stick close to each other, protect each other, and once this war is over, we’ll live on our terms. Together.”

Aline closed her eyes, revelling in Helen’s warmth. “Someone has to die today. We’re going to lose somebody. Promise me it won’t be us.”

“It won’t be,” Helen insisted, “we’re too good of a team for anybody to get the better of us.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Aline admitted, burying her face in Helen’s neck.

~~~~~~~~~~

Alec, Aline, Izzy and Raj had gone over the plans for the shadowhunters they’d convinced to join their side; they had almost 800 troops to work with, with the expectation that they’d be joined by downworlder forces too. Aline had heard from an ex-girlfriend on her way to the evening briefing that the Clave had gotten wind of the guards sent to arrest Alec changing sides, and were preparing for battle. They’d been hoping to have a few days to finalise plans with the downworlder factions, but they decided that they had to act quickly, before the Clave could fully organise. 

“Aline, I want you and Helen to go to the Seelie Queen, tell her that we attack at sundown Alicante time, 21.15. We’re going to need the Seelie forces there before then. Fire message me the information when you have it. Iz, go and see if Maia and Luke had any luck getting in touch with other packs. Raj, have you heard back from your sister?” Alec asked.

“Yeah, she’s just waiting on us for a time to arrange the portal.” Raj answered.

“Amazing. Tell her to aim for 20.30 Alicante time, which would be…”

“11.30 LA time,” Izzy supplied.

“Got it.” Raj confirmed.

“Once you’ve done that I need you to go to the Hotel DuMort and find out how many vampires Raphael and Simon have been able to gather. Help them recruit more if you can.”

“I’m going to be calling on Lorenzo with Magnus. He’s promised us 300 warlocks, but I’ll believe that when I see it.”

“If we have 300 warlocks the Clave don’t stand a chance,” Aline whistled, “that would be great.”

“They might surrender before we get a foot in the gate,” Raj said optimistically.

“We can’t count on Lorenzo, I think we all know that.” Alec insisted. “We can’t get cocky.”

“My Mom won’t surrender, she’ll fight to the death to protect the Clave,” Aline agreed, “and reports say that shadowhunters are portalling in from all over to protect Alicante. There could be up to 1,500.”

“Almost double the shadowhunters we do,” Alec tutted.

“You might be able to convince some of them to switch sides, like you did with the guards,” Izzy pointed out. “For all they know right now, you’re trying to seize power for yourself.”

“We can only hope,” Alec muttered. “Everyone know what they’re doing?” 

Everyone replied with an affirmative, and Alec nodded. “We leave the Institute at 1400 hours. We have,” Alec checked his watch, “19 hours to get our forces together. Good luck, everyone. Dismissed.”

“Raj,” Izzy took his elbow before he could leave the table, “come with me.”

He didn’t argue, and Izzy led him towards a quiet corner of the ops centre. Alec and Aline didn’t waste any time heading off to carry out their respective missions, and they were left alone. “What is it, Iz?” 

“Raphael didn’t seem too convinced about this fight, Alec told me,” Izzy said, “and I wanted to give you a bit of leverage.”

“What leverage?” Raj asked, tilting his head to the side. “I don’t really think it’s a good idea to blackmail him into this…”

“No, no, nothing like that,” Izzy assured him, “but we can offer him something he wants for the clan in return for the vampires’ help in Alicante. The secret to becoming a daylighter.”

“Isabelle, have you lost your mind?! If we tell Raphael and the clan that yours and Clary’s blood is the answer, they’ll never stop hunting you.”

“Which is why we’re not going to tell them it’s our blood. You’re going to tell them that you and Simon discovered the secret and Magnus can replicate the substance for them if they agree to fight. I think they only need a drop of angel blood, and it’ll be pretty easy to put a drop of mine or Clary’s blood in a larger blood bag and tell them that it’s a tonic or whatever.”

Raj considered it. “That could work,” he admitted, “but are you sure it’s a good idea to release this knowledge? It could change vampire society forever.” 

“We’re looking to build an equal society, and that means sharing our knowledge with our allies and helping them to have the best quality of life possible. The vampires deserve this chance,” Izzy insisted. “As long as we’re careful, me and Clary will be safe.”

“I’ll put it to him,” Raj promised, “but the deal has to be that the vampires give us a decent amount of support in exchange for the entire clan to have daylighter powers. It wouldn’t be fair on the young or pacifist vampires if we only made the ones who helped us daylighters.” 

“Agreed,” Izzy nodded, “I gotta go talk to Maia. Good luck, Raj.”

“I have a feeling I’ll need it,” Raj chuckled, “Raphael will be pissed that we’ve known the secret this whole time.”

“Hopefully his excitement at being a daylighter will outweigh his anger.”

“Yeah, hopefully.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Alec was grateful for the opportunity to see Magnus alone. A lot had happened in the last 48 hours, and Alec had questions about most of it. The front door of the loft opened on its own as Alec raised his hand to knock, and Alec wandered into the loft, looking around for his boyfriend. 

“I’m in the apothecary!” Magnus called, and Alec frowned, checking the time. Surely Magnus couldn’t be working on a commissioned potion at this hour? 

“What are you working on?” Alec asked as he let himself into the apothecary.

Magnus didn’t look up as Alec entered, dividing his attention between the cauldron in front of him and the journal he was writing in. “I’m recording how to make hormone potions.”

“Hormone potions? Why?” 

“Because Dot isn’t familiar with this potion, and she’ll need exact instructions to make them for Maia.” Magnus answered.

Alec frowned. “What are you talking about? You’re talking like you’re not gonna be here. Magnus, we’re going to be fine. I promise. We have a lot of shadowhunters-”

“I know that I’m going to survive the battle, Alec, never fear,” Magnus assured him, his eyes still on the potion.

“So what is this?” Alec challenged. 

Magnus swallowed hard, looking at Alec out of the corner of his eye. “I got the extra magic from Asmodeus, but it came at a price.” 

“If you say you’ve told him you’ll go to Edom, I swear-”

“No, no,” Magnus insisted, pushing his chair back from the desk. Alec went to go and sit on his lap, his arms around Magnus’ neck. “It’s nothing like that.”

“Then what is it?” Alec prompted. Magnus reached up to stroke his thumb over the furrow of Alec’s eyebrows, the corners of his mouth turning up. He loved Alec’s expressive, bushy eyebrows.

“Asmodeus doesn’t give anything away for free. His magic came with a price. At first he asked me to rule Edom with him, but I refused. But his second request was fairer. He gave me access to his power on the condition that once the battle of Alicante is won… He gets my magic. Permanently.” 

Alec slowly got up from Magnus’ lap. “You can’t be serious. He’s going to turn you into a mundane?!” 

“It’s a small price to pay for victory against the Clave,” Magnus pointed out, “I couldn’t put my ego over the freedom of the downworld… Over your life.”

“We could’ve figured it out without that magic, we still could’ve won!” 

“Alec, you would have died bringing down those demon towers and you know it. I couldn’t live with that.” Magnus insisted. 

“So it’s okay for you to sacrifice your life in the shadow world for the cause but it’s not okay for me to-”

“At least this way we’ll be together!” Magnus pointed out, though after he said it, he faltered. “That is… Presuming you’d still want me.”

Alec’s expression softened. “Magnus… Of course I’ll still want you. That’s not what I mean. Your entire life is the downworld. Looking after wayward downworlders, helping them… That’s what gets you up in the morning.”

“You are what gets me up in the morning,” Magnus argued, “I couldn’t go on without you, Alexander, I can’t even begin to think about a world that doesn’t have you in it.”

“But this… This is…”

“Tell me you wouldn’t do the same thing if our positions were reversed.” Magnus challenged him, “tell me you wouldn’t sacrifice your career to save my life. I mean, damn,” he shook his head, “you already did. More than once.”

Alec couldn’t argue. He would give up his very runes if it meant that Magnus lived a long life. “I can’t,” he confessed. “But…”

“I wanted to do this,” Magnus promised, his hands finding Alec’s biceps. “Not just for you, but for all the downworlders. For the society that we’ve needed for centuries. It’s a small price to pay for the thought that I get to live in a world where downworlders and shadowhunters are equals, and you and I live happily ever after.”

“I… I love you,” Alec said, his voice thick with emotion. “I love you so much.”

Magnus sniffed, hugged Alec tightly. “I love you too.”

Alec was struck by an itch similar to the one he’d felt on their first date. An impulsive, childish part of him wanted to propose, right here, right now. It would be so easy to ask Magnus to marry him in this moment of high emotion, but he knew that it wouldn’t be fair. They were about to head into a dangerous battle, and Magnus was facing the emotional upheaval of losing his magic. So rather than blurt out those four words, Alec buried his face in Magnus’ neck and breathed in deeply, instead. 

“We should go and meet with Lorenzo,” Magnus pointed out softly, “he’ll be waiting for us.”

“Yeah,” Alec muttered, pulling back. “He said he’d managed to round up 300 warlocks, but I can’t see how that’s possible.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Magnus admitted, “Lorenzo has powerful and influential friends. If he’s calling in all his favours, he might just surprise you.” He took extra care over the portal to Lorenzo’s mansion, knowing that it was one of the last he’d ever cast. Alec held his hand tightly as they passed through, like he was thinking the same thing Magnus was. 

“Gentlemen,” Lorenzo greeted them airily, “what’s the latest from Alicante?” 

“The Clave have a maximum of 1,500 troops,” Alec told him, “we have 800 shadowhunters.”

“Impressive number, Mr Lightwood,” Lorenzo smiled. “I, too, seem to have outdone myself.”

“300 is the number we heard,” Magnus stated.

“Three hundred and four, to be exact,” Lorenzo announced proudly, “our force will be formidable.”

“It will be,” Alec agreed, his eyebrows raised. 300 warlocks was more or less equal to double the number of shadowhunters. “Presumably they aren’t all soldiers.”

“Well, no, but all warlocks know at least a basic hex and a shielding spell.” Lorenzo shrugged, “if nothing else, they’ll protect the army against arrows, spears, javelins, that sort of thing. The Alicante shadowhunters will have no choice but to leave the towers and come and fight on the ground.”

“You’ve done excellent work, Lorenzo,” Magnus offered a small smile, “very impressive.”

Lorenzo preened, inclining his head politely to Magnus. “I intend to win this battle quite decisively.”

“We’re intending to attack at sundown in Alicante, which means we’re going to need portals out of New York at 14.30. A lot of portals.” Alec explained, “are there warlocks who aren’t going to fight who can provide them?” 

“Catarina and Dot have decided not to fight but I know they’ll be willing to help us with portals,” Magnus told them, “and they’ll be on standby to provide emergency evacuations and medical care for casualties.”

“I’ll work on getting some more warlocks to join them,” Lorenzo promised, “aside from that, I’ll see you gentlemen at 14.30 tomorrow afternoon.”

“We’re gathering at the Institute, but the warlocks who live outside New York can just meet us at Alicante.” Alec shook Lorenzo’s hand. “Good luck recruiting.”

“Same to you,” Lorenzo said, “we’re going to need all the help we can get.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“We have a lot of troops, Raphael. 800 shadowhunters and hundreds of warlocks to Alicante’s 1,500 people. We have a good chance of winning if we can unite the entire downworld.” Raj explained.

“Vampires are the most easily killed group in the shadow world,” Raphael pointed out, “the shadowhunters can kill dozens of us with a bow. We would take the heaviest casualties; I would be leading my people to their deaths.”

“Alright, you raise a good point,” Raj allowed, folding his arms, “but we can take measures to protect your people, whether that’s shields or the seelies and warlocks conjuring barriers.”

Raphael pursed his lips, leaning back in his chair. They were sat in Raphael’s study, the door ajar because they were waiting for Simon. Raj didn’t know Raphael well, but he knew through the grapevine that Raphael wanted to become a daylighter. “I’m just not sure what we’d contribute other than cannon fodder.”

“It’s about showing the Alicante shadowhunters that the downworld is united, and that if they join our side, they can be part of a fair and peaceful society. If we’re missing one of the factions, our message dies. Odds are they’ll all fight to the death.”

“And why should I care whether all the Clave shadowhunters fight to the death?” Raphael asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Because they’ll take a lot of your allies with them.” Raj reminded him, “and we have something to offer your clan that might change your mind.”

Raphael’s guarded expression flickered with the tiniest indication of curiosity. “And what’s that?”

“We’ve discovered Simon’s secret,” Raj admitted, “and we’d be willing to share it with vampires everywhere if you pledged at least 50 vampires to our force.”

“You know how to make us daylighters?” Raphael shuffled his chair forward.

Raj nodded. “I don’t know personally, but people in the Institute know how to make the serum, and they will give Magnus access to it so he can dose as many vampires as you want. I know that you expressed interest in the Clave’s serum to turn you into a mundane, but… Wouldn’t the daylighter secret be better?” 

“Why didn’t you lead with this offer?” Raphael asked, annoyance in his voice, “were you hoping that I would agree to bring my people without having to offer this?”

“No,” Raj insisted, “I was going to tell you this anyway, but I was hoping that I wouldn’t have to force your hand by using the promise of this serum.”

Raphael took a moment to digest that. “And you’d give the entire clan access, even if the individual didn’t fight?” 

“That’s right, your clan and any other you wanted. The hope is that eventually we would share this knowledge with every vampire, but it’ll take time to learn how to make this serum in large quantities.” Raj explained, “all we’re asking is that you join us for the fight for Alicante.”

“I will put it to my people,” Raphael promised, “I am sure that once they hear that this new regime intends to turn them into daylighters, there will be much support for it.”

“What did I miss? Sorry, I got caught up downstairs with the blood delivery.” Simon breezed into the room, and Raj and Raphael looked at each other for a moment. 

“We are joining the fight for Alicante,” Raphael told him.

“Awesome!” Simon grinned, “those asshole Clave guys won’t stand a chance!”

~~~~~~~~~~

Once the business side of their visit had been dealt with, Maia, Izzy and Clary all sat around a table in the Jade Wolf holding hands. They’d been lucky not to lose anyone in the battle with Lilith and her goons, but they knew that they wouldn’t be so lucky in the battle for Alicante. The plan that had been drawn up had the three of them splitting up, and all of them were dreading it. 

“If anything happens to me,” Maia said quietly, her thumb running along the back of Izzy’s hand as she looked at Clary, “promise me you won’t blame yourselves. I want you both to know that I believe in this. I believe that we’re doing the right thing, and you couldn’t have convinced me to stay away from it if you’d tried.”

“I promise,” Izzy replied, “as long as you promise that you won’t blame yourself if something happens to us.” 

“Yeah, we would’ve wanted to bring down the Clave even if we didn’t know you,” Clary insisted, “don’t feel as if you convinced us to stand against the Clave.”

Maia smiled slightly. “You were standing against the Clave before you met me,” she reminded Clary, leaning towards Izzy, “and I’ve known you long enough,” Maia told Izzy, “to know that no-one can force you to do anything.”

Izzy closed her eyes as her temple met Maia’s forehead. “I love you so much. Both of you.” 

“Hey, uh…” Bat murmured, appearing next to the table. “Sorry to bother y’all but Maia, some of us are training outside and we could use your help. Sorry.”

“It’s alright,” Maia sighed, reluctantly dragging herself away from her girlfriends, “Clary and Izzy have a lot to do anyways, I’m guessing.”

“Kinda,” Izzy admitted. “Can you try and get a message to the other packs?”

“I promise,” Maia confirmed, giving Clary and Izzy quick kisses as they each got up to leave.

~~~~~~~~~~

“I will intervene when I see fit,” the Seelie Queen said, and Helen took a step forward.

“Your Majesty,” Helen curtseyed low, “with all due respect, that’s not good enough. We need to present a united front to the Clave shadowhunters, or our chances of-”

“I am aware of Alec Lightwood’s plan to inspire surrender in the Clave, and it will not work. I have foreseen this battle, and I know what my actions must be. As fond of you as I am, Helen, you will not change my mind.” The Seelie Queen smiled slightly when Helen glared at her. “You will understand when the time comes.”

Helen licked her lips. “I respect that, Your Majesty, but it is not fair that you expect us to blindly trust that you’ll show up-”

“Have I done something to make you doubt me, Helen?”

“Not me,” Helen insisted, “but Alec, Lorenzo, Maia and Raphael deserve to know what your plan is. They’re all going to risk their lives for not only their freedom, but ours too.”

“We intend to include seelies in the new government,” Aline volunteered, stepping forward to stand next to Helen, “and the other downworld leaders will not be happy if you claim that honour after neglecting them in the battle.”

The Seelie Queen looked Aline up and down, her lips pursed. “At no point did I say that I would not assist, shadowhunter. I will assist, when the time is right. That is the way that it must be.”

“Is there anything I can say to change your mind?” Helen asked helplessly, and the Seelie Queen smiled, reaching out to cup Helen’s face.

“You will understand when the time comes,” she promised, her voice more tender than Helen had ever known. 

Helen frowned, her eyebrows knitting together. It wasn’t like the Queen to be so affectionate. What was coming?

~~~~~~~~~~

“Everyone’s here, Alexander,” Magnus told him, walking up the grassy knoll that Alec had stationed himself on to survey the defenses that Alicante had put up. It seemed that they didn’t expect the demon towers to fall, because the only defenses they’d erected were several dozen large ballistas, each with six shadowhunters manning them. There was a foot army waiting behind them, stretching back into the city.

“The Seelies?” Alec asked, and Magnus shook his head. “Dammit.”

“Even without them, we have quite the force,” Magnus pointed out, “Izzy estimated 1,200 people.”

“We’re still outnumbered when the swords start clashing,” Alec murmured, his hands on his hips. “I’ve been so confident that this is the right thing to do… But now we’re here, and I see their faces…” He looked out to the plain below, where the united factions of the shadow world were preparing for battle. “A lot of them are going to die.”

Magnus put his hand on Alec’s back. “Yes, they are,” he said, “there’s no escaping that. But every person standing on that field wants to be here. They want the world that we’re promising them. They’re willing to die for it. This day was always going to come, Alexander. If it wasn’t your team that brought them here, it would’ve been another. I was wrong to try to convince you to look the other way. This fight needs to be fought.”

“I know,” Alec agreed quietly, “but I don’t know how I’m going to live with myself once the smoke has cleared.” 

“We’ll figure it out together,” Magnus promised, “you with your battle scars and me with my loss of magic. As long as we have each other, it’ll all be okay.” 

Alec forced a smile, though the anxiety churning in his stomach made it difficult. “Promise to stick close. We don’t know when Asmodeus will take your magic.”

“I’m prepared for any eventuality,” Magnus assured him, turning to show Alec the holster on his hip, a seraph sword sheathed inside it. 

“Still.”

“I’ll try my best.”

Alec gave Magnus a hug, burying his face in Magnus’ shoulder. “You’re not allowed to get hurt. You get that? You’ll be in very big trouble.”

Magnus chuckled softly, stroking Alec’s back. “Same to you.”

“Deal,” Alec agreed, taking one last moment to breathe Magnus in before pulling away and turning to their army. Lorenzo, Maia, Raj, Izzy and Raphael approached. 

“Everyone is briefed,” Lorenzo told them, “we’re ready.” 

“Everyone who said they’d be here is here,” Raphael confirmed, “I don’t think we should wait for the seelies.”

“We don’t even know if they’re going to turn up,” Raj agreed, “I think it’s time, Alec.” 

Alec nodded. “Right, okay. Alpha team!” He shouted, pointing to Aline and gesturing for her to join them, “let’s go!”

Magnus, Izzy, Aline and Alec jumped down from the knoll and headed towards the border of Alicante. Alec primed his five-arrow bow as they walked, and Magnus threw up a shield as the Clave shadowhunters fired off some bolts in their direction. Aline snatched up the bolts as they bounced off the magic shield, intent on using them as spare javelins when the time came. They picked up speed when they saw a ground force start to run towards them, the shadowhunters twisting to defend Magnus when they reached the angelic barrier erected by the demon towers. 

“This is it,” Izzy said, “good luck, Magnus. We’ll cover you.” 

Magnus dropped the shield he’d been holding up and dug deep for the power that Asmodeus had planted inside him, all the hairs on his body standing on end as he felt it grow. It was all he could do direct the rushing energy at the tower. The scarlet magic shot like hundreds of bolts of lightning into the demon tower, and the whole thing glowed red. A huge boom shook the ground, and the shadowhunters that had been running towards them slowed, looking fearfully at the cracking demon tower. 

“It worked!” Aline marvelled, watching the angelic barrier pulse red and drop. 

“We haven’t got time to celebrate,” Alec reminded her, his eyes on the Clave shadowhunters rushing towards them once more. “Magnus?! You good?” 

“I’m…” Magnus felt wrung out, his chest heaving. He pulled the sword out of his holster and brandished it. “Yes, I think I’m alright.” 

“Stay close,” Alec insisted, aiming at the closest shadowhunters. As he fired off his first arrows, he saw the downworlder-shadowhunter force swarm over the hill and race towards the line that the Clave shadowhunters were holding. 

The battle had begun.

~~~~~~~~~~

The plan was that when swords started clashing, the downworld leaders would bring their people forward, get through the front line, and race to the Clave headquarters. That would be where the battle would be won or lost. 

Simon was playing his role well; he walked in front of Maia, Luke, Lorenzo, Ragnor and Raphael, blasting any shadowhunters who raised a weapon against them out of the way. Magnus ran at the group from behind, still feeling vulnerable after using so much power. His sword was serving him well, but he couldn’t keep up with Alec and the others, not on a level battlefield. 

“Good job, Bane!” Lorenzo yelled at him, clutching his shoulder, “incredible.”

“Thanks,” Magnus shouted back, the din of fighting almost overwhelming. A few shadowhunters had realised that Simon was impossible to attack and had skirted around him, trying to attack from behind. Lorenzo and Ragnor held up shields as Maia and Luke turned to wolf form and Raphael let his fangs drop.

“When we get to the headquarters,” Raphael reminded them, “the three of us need to make our way to the council chambers while Maia, Luke and Ragnor secure the barracks. Simon, you head back to the battlefield and help our people.”

It looked like Maia’s pack weren’t far behind when they got to the Clave headquarters, and they only had a dozen of so Clave shadowhunters who’d followed them. They were easily dispatched with between Maia, Raphael and Luke, and soon the group was moving into the headquarters with Ragnor in tow. Lorenzo sent off a fire message as Maia and Ragnor headed around the back to pin down the elite guards, and Magnus tested his magic, blasting a shadowhunter running down the steps with a ball of magic. It was still red, and powerful. For now, at least, his magic was intact. 

After a moment, a fire message returned, and Lorenzo conjured a portal. Magnus held his breath as it opened, letting out a sigh of relief as Alec, Clary, Helen, Aline, Izzy and Raj all sprinted through, unscathed. 

“The battlefield is bloody,” Helen reported, “no sign of the Seelie Queen.”

“With any luck, if our plan works, Jia will call a ceasefire and surrender before the two forces wipe each other out,” Alec muttered, “let’s go.” 

Izzy ran off after Maia’s team as Aline and Alec activated their high jump runes and took off, leaping up to the roof of the two-storey building. The rest of the group headed inside, ready to take on the council themselves. As they neared the door, however, they saw an entire battalion of shadowhunters ready for them, hiding from Alec and Aline’s arrows and javelins. Helen, Clary and Raj pulled out their weapons, letting Lorenzo and Magnus send a blast before them to scatter the Clave shadowhunters before diving into battle.

The five of them soon got separated between the clashing blades and sweeping staffs of the Clave shadowhunters that had come to meet them. “Magnus!” Helen shouted through the swarm, “get to the council chamber! We’ll take care of these!” She didn’t get an answer, and she couldn’t see him. “Magnus?!”

“He’s gone!” Raj assured her, cutting down yet another shadowhunter and stumbling into Helen’s path, “I saw him disappear round the corner. Two, fuck-” He ducked out the way of a staff and kicked the attacked in the stomach as they overbalanced, “two shadowhunters went after him but he’ll sort them.”

Clary was trying to make a break for the chambers too, but Robert Lightwood emerged from between two clave shadowhunters that she’d been trying to fight off, his face set with determination. “You.”

“This is all your fault,” Robert snarled, shoving aside the two shadowhunters that had been fighting her. “She’s mine.”

“I don’t want to have to kill you, you’re still Izzy’s father, Robert.” Clary said, circling him with her daggers raised. “Walk away. You can still do that right thing and fight with us. That’s what Izzy and Alec would want.” 

“My own children are strangers to me now,” Robert gritted out, “because of you.”

Clary shook her head. “They knew that the Clave was corrupt before I came along.” 

Robert didn’t listen. He swung his sword at her with all the rage of a bull coming for the red cloak of a matador. Clary was quick enough to dodge, remembering what Izzy had taught her. She didn’t have a hope against his brute strength, but she had youth and speed on her side. His second attack, though, was more calculated. He shifted his weight as if he were going to slash right, but as Clary moved left he lashed out with a flick of his sword and caught her in the shoulder. 

Clary cried out in pain, gritting her teeth against the searing heat, and moved in close to attack him, but he parried and knocked her back, sending her petite form slipping back. “Izzy will never forgive you if-”

“Do not speak her name,” Robert spat, renewing his attack. Clary wasn’t quite strong enough to block its force, and her daggers locked with his sword, the point pushing towards her throat. “You may as well have killed her with your own two hands,” he panted, his eyes twitching as he heaved forward, inching the sword forward, the point only an inch from Clary’s neck. 

“That’s not true,” Clary managed to get out, all her strength pushing against Robert’s. She was only barely stopping him from ending her, and she knew it. Looking directly into his eyes, she steeled herself. “You can kill me if you want, but you will never kill the defiance in Izzy’s heart.”

Robert’s face got redder, and he let out a yell as he pushed again, his sword grazing Clary’s throat. Clary closed her eyes.

She stumbled forwards suddenly as Robert’s force fell away, and when she opened her eyes she saw Robert keeled over, clutching at a pointed seraph staff that had burst through the middle of his throat. He was gurgling, and he looked up at her, and then went still. Clary looked up to see who’d saved her, and saw Hope trembling a few feet from her, her eyes glued on Robert’s corpse. Clary rushed to her, shoving her behind her body as a shadowhunter engaged her. Numb to what had just happened, Clary cut him down almost automatically. Once he was on the ground, Raj, Helen and Lorenzo approached them. It seemed that the surviving Clave shadowhunters had retreated further into the building. 

“I killed him,” Hope whispered, hugging herself as Clary turned around to face her. 

“You saved my life,” Clary insisted, shaking her a little. She was still staring at Robert’s body. “Hey, Hope, look at me. Look at me.” 

Hope’s eyes flicked to Clary, full of tears. 

“You saved my life. You did what you had to do. Okay? You saved me. Say it back to me.”

“I-I… I saved you.” Hope said, her voice wavering. 

“That’s right.” Clary hugged her tightly. “You were amazing.”

“We have to keep moving,” Lorenzo reminded them, “we’re not done.” 

~~~~~~~~~~

Around the side of the council building, Izzy and Ragnor were fighting alongside the wolves. The plan seemed to be working, except that there were more soliders waiting for them than they’d expected. Izzy had a few bruises forming but aside from that she was going strong, leaving a growing pile of unconscious and dead shadowhunters at her feet. She glanced over at Maia when she could, making sure that her girlfriend wasn’t getting too overwhelmed with shadowhunters. There was an arrow sticking out of one of her hind legs, but she seemed okay. 

“Isabelle!” Ragnor shouted, “behind you!” 

Izzy spun to see the doors of the barracks open, several dozen shadowhunters dressed in body armour streaming out towards them. “Oh my God.” 

They were surrounded. The guards they’d been fighting over the last hour were blocking off their retreat, and the new force was stopping them from taking refuge inside the barracks. They were outnumbered five to one, and Izzy saw that the armoured guards were carrying silver weapons. 

Right as she was meeting the first wave, familiar arrows appeared in the chests of the shadowhunters closest to her. Izzy glanced up to see Alec and Aline on the roof, firing off arrows and javelins as quickly as they could, picking off as many as possible. She looked away as the nearest shadowhunter reached her, concentrating on parrying their attacks. She saw blasts of magic firing, and heard the snarls of the wolves. It was taking too long to take down the elite guard in front of her; others were reaching her. Soon Izzy was fighting three at once, unable to dodge far because of the way they were hemming her in. 

Alec appeared next to her, having leapt onto the head of one of the shadowhunters attacking, but it didn’t make much of a difference. Soon they were surrounded again, fighting back to back. No matter how many they cut down, more would appear, and both siblings were beginning to tire. 

“Iz!” Alec cried through the din of battle, “we have to get out of here!” 

“We can’t leave the pack!” 

Alec grunted loudly, pulling a spare seraph blade from a dead shadowhunter’s hand. “We’re going to die here if we don’t go!” 

“I won’t leave Maia!” 

“Well I’m not gonna leave you,” Alec insisted, “so I guess we’re both gonna die here and leave Clary and Magnus behind!” 

Izzy gritted her teeth, using her anger at Alec to fight, but her muscles were screaming at her. She yanked her stele from her back pocket and moved it across her stamina rune. “I’m not done fighting yet.” 

Right as Alec thought that he might have to drag Izzy out of there kicking and screaming, a portal opened just above them and Meliorn dropped out of it right in front of them. He skewered the shadowhunter that had been fighting Izzy and winked at her before launching into action. Izzy and Alec followed him as seelie knights started to stream out of the portal, overwhelming the clave force and sending them back towards the barracks. 

“Maia!” Izzy cried, relief flooding through her as Maia rose her head over the sea of seelie knights fighting shadowhunters. She turned to Alec. “You go after the council, me and Aline will go with the wolves.”

“Be careful,” he urged her, turning to see the Seelie Queen floating down from the portal before it closed up behind her. He bowed his head, and she nodded at him as he walked to join her. “I didn’t expect to see you here, Your Majesty.”

“I have been waiting for this day since the day of my coronation, Alexander Lightwood,” she insisted, breaking into a jog towards the council chambers, “I still have my part to play.”

“And what part is that?”

“Alec…”

Alec stopped short at the sound of someone calling his name. He glanced around and spotted Ragnor leaning against the wall nearby. “Ragnor?! Are you alright?” 

“I’ll be fine,” Ragnor assured him, his hand on his side. “Just a little drained.”

“Are you hurt?” 

“A little,” he admitted wryly, “but nothing I can’t handle. You need to get to the council chambers. Finish this, before more life is lost.”

Alec nodded, his eyes flicking over Ragnor’s form. He couldn’t see any blood, but Ragnor seemed exhausted. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

Ragnor patted his cheek, smiling tiredly. “You’ve done something incredible here today. You should be proud. You and Magnus…” He shook his head. “A force to be reckoned with.”

Alec swallowed hard. “Ragnor, I have to go.”

“Yes, you do,” Ragnor agreed, his eyes following the Seelie Queen as she ran towards the council chambers. “Go.”

Alec nodded, giving his arm a squeeze before taking after the Seelie Queen.

The moment he was gone, Ragnor dropped the glamour on his body, his blood-stained clothes revealed once more. He looked up at the sky as he slid down the wall, the magic in him exhausted but still trying to heal the body encasing it. There just wasn’t enough power. Ragnor sighed, his eyebrows pinched, and grew still.

~~~~~~~~~~

It took the seelies and wolves a while to finally corner the elite guards. The seelies took advantage of their portal magic and portalled to the end of the corridor, and hemmed in the guards while the wolves approached from the opposite direction. Once they realised they were surrounded, the guards surrendered, kneeling on the ground with their hands on their heads. Meliorn raided the barracks to find clothes for the wolves to change back. Maia was a little uncomfortable in the body armour of the Clave’s elite guards, but she preferred it to walking around Alicante naked. 

She and Meliorn had just finished taking the steles from the prisoners, and Maia headed out to check on the pack. She was relieved to see them all there, looking tired but okay, aside from a few bleeding cuts. As she looked over them, she noted that a couple of them were missing. 

“Where’s Bat and Tito?” She asked, her eyebrows furrowing. 

“Tito got hurt during the first battle,” Russell answered, “I haven’t seen him since we entered the city.”

“Bat?” Maia pressed, her heart starting to race. “Anybody seen him?” 

The wolves didn’t look at her, some of them shaking their heads. Maia’s throat closed up. 

“He was next to me earlier,” Amanda said, “but I lost him in the confusion.” 

Maia turned away and took off down the corridor they’re fought through, her eyes combing the bodies littered every few feet. Most of them were shadowhunters, but there were a couple of seelies, too. As she turned the corner, she heard a whine, and broke into a sprint when she spotted Bat in wolf form slumped against the wall. 

“I’m here,” Maia told him, dropping to her knees next to him. “I’m here, Bat, you’re gonna be okay.” 

Bat’s head fell into her lap as he transformed back, his eyes fluttering. He was wounded badly, his torso a mess of stab wounds. Maia’s hands went to the worst one, desperately trying to put pressure on it. She shrugged out of the jacket she had on, pressing against Bat’s torso. “I’m cold,” Bat rasped.

“It’s gonna be okay,” Maia insisted, her eyes blurring. “You’re gonna be fine.” She turned her face down the corridor. “Magnus! MAGNUS!” She screamed, “ANYONE! PLEASE! HELP!” The silence echoed back to her, and she let out a sob.

“I saw that…” Bat coughed, groaning in pain, “girl. The microchip girl.”

“Lydia.” Maia’s panic ebbed for a fleeting moment as rage coursed through her. “Lydia.”

“Yeah,” Bat said, squeezing his eyes shut and opening them again, trying to focus on Maia. “She…”

“Shh, it’s okay, don’t waste your breath.” Maia urged him, cradling his head in her lap. “We’re gonna get you help, and we’ll kick her ass together, okay? You’re gonna make it, Bat, I promise.”

Bat reached a bloody hand up to touch her face. “Love you.”

“I know,” she admitted, holding his hand against her face. “Which is why you have to make it. You have to ask me out. I might even say yes, huh?” She joked through her tears.

Bat choked, his face screwing up.

“Please, Bat, don’t. Don’t. Stay with me. You’re gonna be okay.” 

Bat’s hand went slack in hers, his eyes dimming. As his last breath escaped him, his face smoothed out, and then he was gone. Maia bent over him, rocking his body with her sobs, almost retching with how hard they shook her.

~~~~~~~~~~

Magnus grabbed a second seraph sword from the shadowhunter he’d just beaten as he approached the council chambers, steeling himself for another fight as he kicked the door down. As he burst in, he saw the Seelie Queen blast through the doors on the other side of the room. They both looked to the centre of the room, where Jia, Lydia and the other members of the council had been discussing their next move. 

“Back off!” One of the council members shouted, holding his stele to his own skin. “If you come any closer I will blow this whole room to the angels!” 

“And kill the entire cabinet?” Magnus shook his head. “What a clever plan.” 

“You will create a portal for us, warlock,” the council member demanded, “or you will die.”

Magnus took a step forward, twirling the two swords in his hands. “I’m ready when you are.”

The Seelie Queen darted forwards as Magnus advanced, and the council member spun to look at her, hastily etching the last resort rune into his neck. The blast was so loud that the ground shook, and Magnus squeezed his eyes shut. He felt heat on his face, and then… Nothing. He opened his eyes to see a shield of magic shimmering before him, apparently thrown up on instinct. He heard a cough behind him and saw Consul Penhallow slumped at his feet, and Lydia choking on the dust, her body braced over the Consul’s. 

“You…” Lydia looked up at him. “You saved us. After everything…”

“I assure you,” Magnus growled, pointing one of his swords at her throat, “it was an accident.”

“Magnus!” Alec cried, sprinting into the room. “Did you…?” He stopped in his tracks when he saw the bloody scene in the council chamber. He spotted the Seelie Queen lying face down a few feet away and hurried to her side.

“No, it was one of the council,” Magnus told him, “I think he hoped to take me and the Seelie Queen with him.”

“Well…” Alec said grimly, right as Aline skidded into the room, “he succeeded on one of those counts.” 

“Mom!” Aline saw Jia lying motionless next to Magnus and ran over to her, shoving Lydia out of the way. “Mom?” She put her fingers to Jia’s neck, her own heart thundering in her chest. When she felt the thud of her mother’s pulse, her head fell back in relief. “She’s alive.” 

“Are you sure she’s dead?” Magnus asked Alec, turning his back on Lydia. “The seelies are-”

“Half her face is blown away,” Alec reported, crossing the room to give Magnus a hug. “We both made it.” 

Magnus buried his face in Alec’s shoulder, ignoring the fact that they were both smearing blood and gods knew what else all over the other. “It’s over, it’s finally over. We did it.” 

“The Clave is finished,” Alec agreed breathlessly, “we’re free.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it!” 

Magnus felt something press against him, and as he pulled back from the hug his stomach dropped as he saw a knife point sticking out of Alec’s chest. He looked back up to Alec’s face to see only shock, and as Alec fell backwards Lydia was revealed, her face vicious and specked with blood. Magnus ignored her and went to his knees next to Alec, summoning healing magic to his fingers.

The warmth didn’t come. 

“Magnus-” Alec rasped, blood spilling from his mouth.

“Wait, it’ll be alright,” Magnus promised, trying again to access his magic. He couldn’t feel the spark, didn’t sense the power. “I-” 

Alec choked wetly, and Magnus started to panic, his breath coming quick. 

“Alec,” Magnus’ hands faltered over him, his brain blank. He couldn’t grasp it. His magic was gone, and Alec was dying. 

“Out of the way.” Someone pushed him aside. Lorenzo, he realised, staring at the other warlock’s face before Alec’s waving hands caught his attention once more. “You’re going to be alright, Alec,” Lorenzo assured him, his magic working over Alec’s body. 

Magnus grasped one of Alec’s hands, squeezing it tightly. “Look at me, Alexander, it’s okay. You’re alright,” he murmured, though his mind still reeled. His magic was gone.

A rumbling growl rippled across the room. As Lorenzo and Magnus focussed on saving Alec, Lydia’s eyes lifted from them to the Alpha wolf standing in the doorway. Maia fixed her eyes on Lydia and stalked forwards, her teeth bared to the shadowhunter who’d taken her beta from her. She could see Lydia begin to tremble, and pounced. In less than a second, Lydia was dead, and Maia threw her head back and howled, the sound devastating as it reverberated around the council chambers.

Lorenzo sat back on his heels, sighing in relief. “You’re going to be alright, Mr Lightwood,” he told Alec, putting his hand on Magnus’ shoulder. “Though you’re going to need a few healing runes.” 

Magnus rummaged in Alec’s pocket and pulled out his stele, pushing it into Alec’s hand. He still looked pale, but he managed to draw an iratze on his arm. As Alec sat up and sagged into Magnus’ arms, Lorenzo stood and conjured a button-up dress for Maia. 

He approached her slowly, pausing when Maia turned around and growled at him. “You can change back now, Maia. The danger is gone.”

Maia looked over at Jia, who was just coming around with Aline’s help. Aline shook her head as Maia met her eyes, and the wolf stopped. She turned back, taking the dress Lorenzo held out to her and hastily putting it on. Her eyes were carefully turned away from Lydia, her face blank. 

Izzy and Luke came running, having heard Maia howl. The moment Maia saw Izzy, she ran to her, almost knocking Izzy over with the force of her hug. She wanted to cry, she wanted to tell Izzy what had happened, but she couldn’t say it. She couldn’t find the energy to do any of it. She just clung to Izzy, and hoped that Izzy’s warmth would somehow seep into her shivering body.

“Magnus!” Raphael appeared next to Magnus and Alec, his face streaked with tears. “You have to come. It’s Ragnor.”

Alec tried to sit up, grunting softly. “He was alright when I left him, he said he was-”

“He’s dead.” Raphael said, his eyes on Magnus. 

Magnus opened his mouth, and closed it again. “He… He can’t be. It’s just a trick, he’s… He did it before, it was all a trick.” 

Raphael shook his head, lower lip quivering. 

“Raphael, he’s just… It’s not real. He can’t be.” Magnus insisted.

Alec turned over onto his knees, hugging Magnus gently. “I’m so sorry, Magnus.”

“No…” Magnus pushed him away, getting to his feet. “You must be wrong. Ragnor can’t be… He tricked us before.”

His ears were ringing. Raphael and Alec both started talking to him, but he couldn’t hear them. His eyes found Lydia’s body on the ground, and he tried to think. His magic was gone, and he couldn’t feel any other magic either. Lorenzo was standing a few feet away, but Magnus couldn’t feel his magic. He had no way of knowing that Ragnor was alive. When Alec touched his arm, Magnus finally tore his gaze from Lydia’s vacant face to Alec’s concerned eyes.

“I have to see him,” Magnus heard himself say, as if at the end of a very long tunnel.

Alec nodded. “We’ll go and see him.”

“Alec, you need to sit down and rest,” Luke insisted, “you almost died.”

“I’m not letting him go through this alone,” Alec growled.

“I’ll be with him, and Catarina’s on her way,” Raphael promised, “go and rest, Alec. You’ve done enough for us. And you collapsing halfway there isn’t going to do Magnus any favours.” 

Alec looked into Magnus’ eyes, searching for something. Magnus didn’t know what he wanted. He was so tired. “It’s gonna be okay.”

Magnus felt a lump forming in his throat, and he leaned into Alec’s arms, closing his eyes as he felt Alec’s arms close around him. “I’ll be okay with Raphael and Catarina,” he said, though he didn’t mean it.

“I’ll be with you as soon as a medic clears me,” Alec swore, allowing Raphael to steer Magnus away towards the door. Magnus didn’t look back as he left, and Raphael kept an arm securely around his shoulders.

~~~~~~~~~~

Clary had been on her way out of the council buiding with Simon when she heard Maia howl. Though the sound made all the hairs on her arms stand on end, relief that Maia was still alive won out over everything else. She quickly activated her tracking rune, pulling one of Izzy’s necklaces out of her back pocket. As Izzy’s location glowed in her mind, she chuckled softly, her eyes squeezed shut.

“They’re both okay,” Clary told Simon, “we made it.”

“Thank god,” Simon muttered, “but we should finish this list before we go and meet up with them.”

Clary nodded. The two of them had been compiling a list of the dead downworlders and the shadowhunters allied with them, to make sure that Alec, Lorenzo, Maia and Raphael wouldn’t have to. They’d managed to swipe a notebook from one of the council offices, now abandoned, and they were working their way through the chambers towards the entrances. The Clave shadowhunters that Clary recognised, which weren’t many, were being listed in the back of the notebook. 

They were just coming to the corridor where Robert Lightwood had fallen, and Clary was dreading writing his name in the book. She had no idea how Izzy and Alec would react to the news of his death. Sure, he was an asshole, but he was still their father. He’d had a relationship with them their whole life. It wasn’t like her own experiences with Valentine. She’d never loved Valentine, but she knew that Izzy and Alec had loved their father once upon a time. 

When she and Simon rounded the corner, Clary’s worries about telling Izzy and Alec evaporated as she laid eyes on Hope. The teenager was sitting next to Robert’s body, hugging her knees and staring down at the corpse. Clary pushed the notebook and pen into Simon’s hands and jogged over to her. 

“Hope, you shouldn’t be here,” Clary said gently, crouching down next to her. “There’s nothing else you could’ve done. You had no choice, this was war.” She noticed that Hope had been sick, and ripped a piece from Robert’s jacket to clean her up. “Hey, come on, look at me.” 

Hope turned her face to look at Clary, her eyes puffy. “I killed Alec’s Dad. I murdered him.”

Clary squeezed her shoulders, guiding her to lean against Clary’s chest, stroking her hair. “He won’t blame you, sweetheart, it wasn’t your fault.”

“I killed him.”

“I know.”

Hope turned into Clary’s hold, clinging to her shirt as she started to weep. Clary looked up at Simon with grim sympathy, and he saw the same concern in his gaze as he looked down at the shadowhunter who was too damn young to be here.

~~~~~~~~~~

When Magnus and Raphael reached Ragnor’s body, Catarina was already there, attending to his body. She’d transformed his bloody clothes into a nice suit, and cleaned him up. He was now lying flat on his back, his hands resting on his stomach. He could have been sleeping. Magnus sat down next to Catarina, and they hugged for a long moment. 

“He’s really gone,” Catarina said softly, “I’ve triple checked. This isn’t a trick.”

Magnus didn’t reply, burying his face into Cat’s shoulder. She started to cry, clutching the back of his shirt, and Magnus felt his own eyes beginning to fill, too. He wanted, so badly, to feel Ragnor’s arms go around the two of them, to smell his old-fashioned, overpowering cologne as he encased them both in his arms. He’d been like a father to both of them, had given them both a home when they were young. He’d taught them both to master their magic, and to strive to be kind. Magnus couldn’t imagine his life without Ragnor in it. Ragnor had been a constant, always there when Magnus or Catarina needed him. 

“We’ll never forget him,” Raphael promised them, his voice wavering. “He’ll live on in all of us. He gave his life so that we could be free from the Clave. He’ll be remembered forever.” 

“Thank you, Raphael,” Magnus sniffed, finally pulled away from Catarina. “We should bring his body back to his house. Start the funeral rites.” He went to conjure a portal, but as he waved his hand, he remembered.

He didn’t have his magic. 

He let his hand fall back into his lap, squeezing his eyes shut. 

“What’s wrong? Are you running low?” Cat asked, wiping her face with the back of her hand. 

Magnus shook his head, swallowing hard. “I had to… Trade my magic with Asmodeus. For the power to take down the towers. My magic is gone.”

Catarina and Raphael looked at each other with heartbroken amazement, and Magnus turned his face away from them. 

“I’m useless to the both of you now.”

“That’s not true, Magnus,” Cat insisted, taking his hand and squeezing it. “It’s alright, I’ll take him.”

Magnus got to his feet, averting his eyes from Ragnor’s body. “I should go and see Alec before I leave. I’ll have him send you a fire message when I’m ready.” 

Catarina nodded. “Okay. We’ll wait for you,” she promised.

~~~~~~~~~~

Alec was glad to see a lot of people in the medical bay; the more wounded, the less dead, after all. He was in a lot of pain, which was unsurprising considering his rib muscles, heart and lungs were knitting themselves back together. Nevertheless, he was alert, his thoughts with Magnus. If he’d known that Ragnor was dying, he would never have left him there. He figured that was the reason why Ragnor had lied to him. Still, Alec couldn’t help but feel like he should’ve done more.

“Alec,” Raj tapped Alec’s knee, bringing him out of his reverie. “I’ve taken reports from Clary, Simon and some of the Alicante guards who fought with us. I have a list of the dead. It’s not completely comprehensive, but…”

“Anyone we know?” Alec demanded, sitting up a little more with a hiss.

Raj sat in the chair next to the bed, avoiding Alec’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Alec, but your father is on the list. Confirmed by Clary.” 

“Oh.” Alec hadn’t even considered that his father would be here. Of course, it made sense that he’d fight, but… “Which side was he on?” 

“Uhhh… The Clave’s.” Raj answered, trying to put as much empathy into his words as possible, though it had been a silly question.

Alec nodded, his eyebrows furrowing. “Alright. Uh… Wow. I need to call my Mom.” 

“Luke’s talking to her, they’re gonna arrange portals for her and Max.” 

“Right. Good.” Alec had no idea what he was supposed to feel. He couldn’t quite make sense of it. “What about Izzy? Does she know?” 

“She’s with Maia right now, I didn’t want to interrupt. Bat was killed, and the pack is in mourning.” Raj explained, shaking his head. “Maia is inconsolable.”

“Is that why she killed Lydia?” Alec asked.

Raj nodded grimly. “Lydia savaged him. I just came from the morgue, I saw him. It was terrible.”

Alec wrinkled his nose. “I’m glad she’s dead.”

“She deserved it,” Raj agreed. “Hope the angels send her straight to hell.”

“Anyone else I should know about?” Alec requested, bracing himself for more bad news. 

“A lot of shadowhunters died, but none from the New York Institute. A few vampires, two warlocks that Lorenzo brought, Ragnor, the Seelie Queen, four seelie knights, Bat… Most of our people were injured, some badly, but not many deaths. We were very lucky.” Raj told him.

“How are the Seelies?”

Raj shook his head, his face grave. “I’ve never seen any of them like this. It seems that the Queen knew that she was coming to her death, given her insistence that she had a specific role to play before, but… She clearly didn’t warn her people.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Seelies rarely lost one of their own. Helen had only known two other seelies who’d died before the Battle of Alicante - her mother and Kaelie. Both of those instances were considered tragedies, but this? The loss of the Queen, along with four knights? It was clear that the seelies were uncharacteristically lost. The inner circle of remaining knights had formed a circle around the table where the Queen’s body was lying, and the rest of them were piled in the corridor outside the morgue, openly weeping in each others’ arms. Helen had never seen a seelie cry. 

She made her way through the crowd of seelies to the morgue. Meliorn had tears streaming down his face, though he was silent and stood at attention. As Helen approached, the knights parted as if to let her through. 

“Raj said that we can take her body. There’s no reason to keep her on this plane any longer.” Helen told Meliorn, who nodded. 

“The Queen’s final decree will be waiting for us when we return,” Meliorn said, his voice a little rough. “We will put it into motion. Be sure to return to our realm when your duties here are complete.”

“I will.” She promised. “I hope it comforts everyone to know that her sacrifice will never be forgotten.”

Meliorn smiled tightly. “Her memory will live on in those who loved her. Though it is… Comforting, to know that the rest of the shadow world will remember her as fondly as we.” He put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. “We will see you when you return.”

“I won’t be long,” Helen assured him. The only thing she had to do now was to find Aline. No-one had seen her since her mother had been taken into custody.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Max is down in the morgue,” Maryse said quietly, both her hands around one of Izzy’s. “He wanted to say goodbye privately.” 

“I hope this doesn’t mean that his hatred for downworlders grows,” Alec murmured.

“He wasn’t killed by a downworlder,” Izzy told him, “I saw him. He was killed with a seraph blade.”

The three of them were quiet in the wake of that revelation. Alec was still on a bed in the medical bay, and Maryse and Izzy were standing over him, both their faces drawn. It was almost scary, Alec thought, how much they looked like each other when they stood next to each other. 

“I don’t know what to feel,” Izzy admitted after a while. “He was terrible to us. He treated you so badly, Alec, and I still hate him for it, but… I can’t believe he’s actually dead.” 

“He’ll always be your father,” Maryse said gently, stroking Izzy’s hair, “no matter how we may all feel about him. We’ll try and remember the good times, but we’ll also remember that we deserved better from him.”

Alec nodded. “I feel… Nothing. Like, I don’t know. I’m sadder about Ragnor and Magnus than I am about Dad.”

“After the way we treated you growing up, I don’t blame you,” Maryse smiled tightly, leaning over to kiss the top of his head. “It’s okay.”

“Isabelle!” Clary jogged up to the bedside, and Izzy turned to give her a hug. “I’m sorry about your Dad.” 

“How do you know about that?” Alec asked, spotting Simon and Hope walking into the room behind Clary. “Hope, I told you that you didn’t have to come. Are you alright?” 

Hope came around the bed to stand opposite Izzy, Clary and Maryse, and as she got close Alec saw how raw her face was. “I… I wanted to help.” 

“She did,” Clary interjected before Hope could say anything more, “she saved my life. She was a hero.”

“I’m not a hero,” Hope’s lower lip began to wobble. “I-I… I’m sorry. I killed your… Your Dad.” She couldn’t look any of them in the eye, so she stared down at Alec’s bandages. 

“Robert was trying to kill me,” Clary explained, rubbing Izzy’s arm. “He had me trapped. I would be dead right now if it wasn’t for Hope.”

Alec and Izzy looked at each other for a moment, silent communication passing between the parabatai. Alec reached to rub Hope’s shoulder. “Listen,” he said, “we all did things we wish weren’t necessary today. And I know that I speak for Izzy as well when I say that we’d much rather Clary be here than our father. Our father was not a good man. You did the right thing.”

“But…”

“I’m grateful to you,” Alec insisted, sitting up enough to hug her. “Thank you for saving Clary.”

Hope sniffed, her shoulders beginning to shake as Alec held her, stroking her hair gently. “I-I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Maryse soothed, rushing around the bed to join the hug. “Oh, you poor darling. It’s okay.”

Izzy sniffled, swallowing the lump in her throat. She reached across the bed to stroke Hope’s hair too. “I’d have done the same thing,” she added, “it was the right decision.”

Raj put his hand on Clary’s shoulder, and jerked his head to ask her to follow him. He led her out of the medical bay, into the corridor outside. “Hope’s mother is on the list of the dead, and her father has been taken prisoner.”

“Fuck, she’s all alone now,” Clary whispered, shaking her head. “That’s terrible.”

“Yeah,” Raj agreed, swallowing hard. “She’s going to need us.”

“We’ll be there for her,” Clary insisted, looking through the doorway at the Lightwoods embracing her.

~~~~~~~~~~

Magnus found himself up on the roof of the Clave headquarters, his face turned up towards the sky. He’d never seen the skyline of Alicante before, and even now, with the smoking remnants of the battle, it was beautiful. The stars were bright, since all the lights in the city were out, and though the moon was just a sliver in the sky, it shone brilliant white. He hadn’t been a religious man in a very long time, but tonight he sent a prayer up for Ragnor. He hoped, if Allah was there, that He heard it.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’ll go,” came the soft words from behind him.

“It’s alright,” Magnus replied, “I don’t mind the company, Maia.” 

Maia approached him sheepishly, leaning on the hip-height wall next to him. “I think this is the quietest place in the city right now.” 

“Mmmm,” Magnus agreed, “I expect the celebrations will start soon.”

“Everyone is waiting for an address by Alec,” Maia told him, “he’s going to have Lorenzo beam a message into the sky. It’s for our side and the defeated. Everyone’s wondering what he’s going to say.”

“Something wise, I’m sure,” Magnus smiled slightly, though even the thought of Alec couldn’t push away the heaviness in his heart. Maia put her hand on his on the wall, squeezing his fingers gently. 

“I heard about Ragnor. I’m so sorry, Magnus.” 

“I heard about Bat.” Magnus replied, turning over his hand so his fingers interlaced with hers. “Losing a beta is about the most difficult thing in the world for an Alpha.”

Maia sniffed. “Yeah, I can believe that.”

The two of them stood there in sad silence for a few minutes, looking up at the sky. After a moment, Maia started to cry quietly, and Magnus looped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. 

“I’ve lost a lot of people over the course of my life,” Magnus said, his voice anguished, “and it never gets easier. But time usually grants us the gift of learning to remember the good times, rather than the way it all ended. We just have to wait for it.”

Maia was about to respond when the sky lit up with an image of Alec, his head and shoulders outlined against the night sky. His voice was loud enough for all to hear, and it echoed through the valley of Alicante like thunder.

“On this night of loss, and pain, I address you all as not a leader, or an enemy, but as a friend. My name is Alexander Lightwood, and it was my Institute that sparked this conflict that has taken so much from all of us. We discovered that the Clave had been experimenting on innocent downworlders, violating the Accords and the values of equality that it professed to contain. However, all of us standing here in Alicante on this night can most likely agree that the Accords have never afforded the downworld equal rights with us, the shadowhunters. The Accords were a bandaid on the mortal wound that was racial inequality in the shadow world. A bandaid that did next to nothing to actually heal this wound in our society. I propose that out of the ashes of this bloody conflict, a new city will rise. A city that is built on genuine equality, and co-operation. A city that is for everyone and anyone in the shadow world. A place no longer called Idris, home of angels, but Omnis, home of all. We shadowhunters can never heal the wounds we have inflicted on the downworld, and that is why we will not be exerting any authority over the downworld from this day forward. From this day forward, the downworld will lead the efforts to heal this wound of racial inequality, and I will defer to them. I was a leader for a society that is now dead. I will not be a leader for the new. Instead, the downworld will form a Council, and that Council will be attended by an elected shadowhunter representative with no more or less authority than any downworld member. This may sound like a worrying proposition to those shadowhunters loyal to the dead Clave, but we must remember that the angels themselves have already passed judgement on those who believed that downworlders were inferior. They prevented Valentine Morganstern from carrying out a massacre twice, and executed him twice through the powers they bestowed on Clary Fray. They wish for a peaceful coexistence between their shadowhunter children and their downworlder children. I hope that at least some of the Clave loyalists will decide to take part in this new society. If they do not… Well, I’m sure the new Council will be able to make a decision on that front. Finally, I would like to thank every downworlder and shadowhunter who stood here with us today, and to pay tribute to every person that laid down their lives in pursuit of a safe, fair, and loving world. They will be honoured. They will be remembered. Thank you.”

As the image of Alec faded from the sky, Maia nudged Magnus, a weak smile on her face. 

“That’s your man.”

Magnus chuckled, sweeping his fingers through the tears that had gathered in his eyes during Alec’s speech. “Yes. Yes it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilery trigger warnings:
> 
> Violence: During the fight between Clary and Robert, Robert tries to kill Clary and Hope saves her by impaling Robert through the throat, resulting in his very grisly death. Lydia stabs Alec through the chest at the end of the battle, but Lorenzo saves him.
> 
> Deaths: Robert is killed through being impaled through the throat. Ragnor dies after lying to Alec about the severity of his injuries. Bat dies in Maia’s arms after being stabbed multiple times. A nameless council member kills himself with an explosion rune. The Seelie Queen is killed in the blast. Maia kills Lydia in revenge for Bat, it’s not graphic at all.
> 
> Grief: Maia is there to see Bat die, and breaks down. Raphael, Magnus and Catarina are depicted grieving for Ragnor. Hope is traumatised after killing Robert, and is grieving him in a strange way. She’s supported by the Lightwoods late in the chapter. The seelies are grieving for the Queen and four seelie knights, and are shown crying. Alec, Izzy and Maryse are sort of grieving for Robert, but they all feel conflicted about it.


	7. Episode 7: Salt In The Wound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Apologies that this chapter took so long - I worked a long pride weekend and then caught the flu. Hope y'all enjoy!
> 
> Trigger warnings:
> 
> Grief: More or less everyone in this chapter is grieving for someone. We see Magnus, Catarina, Raphael, Dot and Alec mourn Ragnor at his funeral. We see Maia grieving for Bat - she makes a raw and angry speech at his funeral. We see Simon briefly grieving for Bat, too.
> 
> Depiction of dead bodies: Ragnor is seen lying on a table in the middle of his drawing room, but he’s at peace, and it isn’t gory at all. The Seelie Queen is also seen lying on a stone table but isn’t described. Towards the end of the chapter Izzy briefly reflects on the fact that the council chambers had been the site of a massacre a few days before.
> 
> Religion: Maia and Izzy discuss their beliefs in the afterlife, or lack of one.
> 
> Anxiety: Aline is experiencing a lot of anxiety about the fate of her mother.
> 
> Discussion of capital punishment: At the end of the chapter, the Shadow World Cabinet discusses their options on what to do about the shadowhunters who are loyal to the Clave. Different arguments are laid out, including one for capital punishment.

Magnus hadn’t wanted to tear himself away from Alec, and Omnis. Leaving them would mean facing that Ragnor was gone, and he didn’t know how to begin to do that. Nevertheless, he knew that the longer he left it, the longer he was dragging the pain out for Catarina and Raphael, so after a brief cuddle with Alec in the medical bay, he requested a portal to Ragnor’s home in Kent. It was horrible, waiting for one of Lorenzo’s people to make a portal for him. He felt his cheeks burn hot at the sympathetic look that the warlock gave him.

When he came through the portal into Ragnor’s hallway, Magnus was struck by the silence in the house. Usually Ragnor would have some classical music playing on the same crackly gramophone he’d had since they’d first come out in the 1880s. Today it was silent. 

“Cat? Raphael?” Magnus called, making his way through to the parlour. 

“We’re upstairs,” Raphael told him, darting down the stairs to greet him. “In the drawing room. We figured… That’s the place where all the memories are.”

“There and the library,” Magnus sighed, putting his arm around Raphael’s shoulders. “The hours we used to spend in there, arguing philosophy and alchemy.”

“He always had to have the last word,” Raphael murmured, “it was funny to watch the two of you, both stubborn as the other…”

Magnus huffed softly, his heart aching fondly. “I suppose Catarina and I will have to entertain you now.”

“Hey,” Catarina murmured as they reached the drawing room, getting up to give Magnus a hug. “Everything okay at Alicante?” 

“Yes, aside from the grief everywhere. Alec made a beautiful speech. I believe Lorenzo is planning to make the recording public, so the people who missed it can see.” Magnus told her, rubbing her back. “It was quite hopeful. I think he’s intending to come after the ceremony.”

“Dot is, too,” Catarina replied, looking back at Ragnor’s body lying on a table in the middle of the room as she pulled away from Magnus. “I don’t know if I can do this, Mag, I…” She shook her head. “I never thought we’d have to do this.”

“I’m sorry that I can’t help you,” Magnus muttered, shaking his head. “You shouldn’t have to do this alone.”

“She’s not alone,” Raphael pointed out, bringing Ragnor’s umbrella. “You have us right here with you, Cat.” 

Cat smiled slightly at him, and took the umbrella from him. “Thank you. Both of you.” 

The umbrella was one that Ragnor had had for a very long time. It was black, and had a carved ivory handle shaped like a duck that had gotten slightly worn with use. Ragnor had taken it everywhere, even when it was summer time. Even the sight of it was enough to have Magnus, Catarina and Raphael tearing up. But that was exactly what they needed. Warlock funeral rites were intensely private, and reserved for chosen family. A maximum of three people were permitted, because the magic necessary was intense. Each member of the funeral party would offer up a memory of the deceased warlock, and the memory would be enclosed in a beloved object. Once the object was imbued with all three memories, it would be buried with the deceased warlock, and the object would be cloned three times, one given to each member of the funeral party. 

Though both Catarina and Magnus had learned how to carry out funeral rites from Ragnor, their chosen father in the shadow world, only Catarina had actually experienced one. Magnus had never been close enough to another warlock, not until now. 

“Raphael, do you want to go first?” Catarina asked, placing the umbrella on Ragnor’s body, moving his arms and hands so they held the umbrella in place. It made her feel a little sick to move him like a doll, but she swallowed hard and did it anyway. 

“Not really,” Raphael admitted softly, clearing his throat, “but I will.” He stood over Ragnor’s body with his hands holding each other in front of his hips, his shoulders a little hunched. “My favourite memory of Ragnor is from the day that we were reopening the Hotel DuMort. Camille was off somewhere, doing god knows what, and Ragnor came by to set up some wards and saw that nothing was getting done, that the furniture hadn’t arrived or anything. So he called on the store manager who’d sold us all the furniture and personally insisted that the porter boys get to work right away. I can still see him now, bossing everyone about and loving every minute of it.” Raphael’s eyes were far away, and a sad smile appeared on his face. “He was in the middle of the lobby, barking orders at the vampires and the porters, and he glanced up to see if I was doing what I was told. I was just standing there laughing at him, and rather than get mad he just started laughing too.” 

Catarina squeezed his shoulder, and waved her other hand in front of Raphael’s face. A frisson of smoke appeared between her fingertips, and in it the three of them saw Ragnor’s laughing face, his eyes fond as they looked at Raphael. It made Magnus’ throat grow thick to see. Catarina pulled the image from Raphael and send it floating down to the umbrella, where it sunk into the black fabric and disappeared.

“Magnus,” she requested softly, and Magnus looked down at Ragnor’s peaceful face. 

“There are a hundred memories that I could give,” Magnus said, his eyebrows furrowing. “We went through so much together. But I had to choose one. I think he’d yell at me for choosing this one,” Magnus smiled slightly, “but then again, we did live to get on each other’s nerves.” 

Catarina and Raphael chuckled quietly.

“The first time I bought a car, Ragnor didn’t want to know. He loved the old-fashioned things. He hated technology, but I was so excited to try out this new contraption. I insisted on taking him out for a drive when it arrived, and after much argument he finally agreed. Of course, back then, you didn’t have driving lessons, and I only vaguely knew what I was doing. That is the one and only time I ever saw Ragnor genuinely scared. He was gripping the seat so tightly that his knuckles were white, and every time I put my foot on the accelerator he’d yelp ‘Junior!’ like I was about to drive us off a cliff.” Magnus closed his eyes, and he could see Ragnor bouncing along next to him. “The final straw, of course was when his top hat blew off. Now that,” he smiled, shaking his head, “that was… How did he put it? ‘Downright uncivilised.’ And every time we were out shopping after that, and I saw a top hat, I’d buy it for him.” 

“That’s why he has so many top hats…” Raphael murmured, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I always wondered.”

Magnus hummed. “It was my way of reminding him to loosen up every now and then.”

“And, true to form, he never took any notice,” Cat teased, waving her hand in front of Magnus’ face to gather the memory, as before. As it sank into the umbrella, Magnus felt the slightest bit lighter. 

Cat took a deep breath. “My favourite memory of Ragnor is the first time I ever saw him. I was wandering alone, with no idea who I was. All I knew was that I could protect myself when people go too close, so whenever someone tried I ran away. I was scared of hurting them. But Ragnor sensed my power when he arrived in the city, and he went out of his way to find me. He found me walking near the river, and I warned him to leave me alone. I was only nine. He promised me that he was just like me, and I told him to prove it. He looked around to check that there were no mundanes around, and conjured a dolphin made of water to leap out of the river. It was playful and beautiful, and I couldn’t believe that my powers could be used for something like that. He asked if he could come closer, and when I said yes he taught me how to use my magic to manipulate the water. We sat there for hours and played with the water. He was so kind. I’d never known kindness, or companionship. He gave me both. I was so grateful…” Cat nodded a little, her eyes misty. “I still am.” 

Magnus put his arm around her as she pulled the memory from her mind, Ragnor and a small girl sat next to a river alive with magic. Once the memory was safely inside the umbrella, Catarina leaned into Magnus’ side. 

“What happens now?” Raphael asked with trepidation, “is that it?” 

“One last thing,” Cat replied, standing up straight once more and focussing on the umbrella. Breathing deeply, she focussed on conjuring three identical umbrellas. The actual umbrella was easy to copy; the magic encased within, however, was more complex. Nevertheless, after a moment of concentration she managed it, and in each mourner’s hand there appeared an umbrella just like Ragnor’s. “Whenever you use it, our memories will resurface,” Cat told Magnus and Raphael. 

“I never knew how beautiful warlock funeral rites were,” Raphael told them, smiling tightly as he continued, “though I hope I never have to go through them again.” 

“Well, I can’t see how you will,” Magnus pointed out airily, “I doubt that I’ll have a warlock funeral now.”

“Hey,” Catarina insisted gently, “you’ll always be a warlock, Magnus. Magic or not.”

“Thank you, Cat,” he murmured. The words were kind, even if they were not true. “We should send for the others. They’ll want to say goodbye, too.”

“Have you decided where he’ll be buried?” Raphael asked, looking between Magnus and Catarina, as she conjured a portal for the guests to arrive, “Alec is burying the vampires who fell in the Hall of Heroes in Omnis, along with that boy that Maia lost.”

“Ragnor always said he wanted to be buried here, in England,” Cat said, looking back at his body, “I think we should respect his wishes. It’s kind of Alec to offer him a place, but Ragnor was always clear.”

“Agreed,” Magnus nodded, “he should be buried here.”

“I’m sure that a plaque can be erected,” Raphael assured them, “so that even if he isn’t buried there, he’ll be remembered along with the other martyrs.”

Cat smiled sadly. “I think he’d have liked that.”

“I think I’ll have a bust commissioned,” Magnus said softly, “for display in Omnis.”

“Maybe they’ll put it in the new Academy,” Raphael suggested, “since he was a professor there for years.”

Alec stepped through with Dot. He looked tired but he wasn’t hunching over around his injury anymore. Dot was carrying a bouquet of flowers, and as she came into the room she conjured a vase for them, setting them on the grand piano behind the table where Ragnor lay. 

“I’m sure we can arrange a tribute to him,” Alec agreed, having heard Raphael’s suggestion. He went to Magnus’ side, rubbing his back. “You doing okay?”

Magnus nodded, leaning into his side. 

“Madzie’s doing alright,” Dot answered before Cat could ask the question, “I just heard from Elliot. She’s having a blast staying there with him and his Mom.”

“Thanks,” Cat kissed her briefly as she came close, their hands winding together. “We’ll go and get her after this.”

“We should get this done before the sun comes up,” Raphael pressed gently. 

They all knew he was right, but Catarina hesitated, giving Ragnor’s body one last lingering look. Magnus bent to give Ragnor a kiss on the forehead. As he straightened up, Catarina conjured a coffin of polished mahogany around Ragnor’s body. Dot helped her lift it from the table with magic, and Alec and Raphael moved to take the front of the coffin under their shoulders, Dot holding it with magic at the back as Cat and Magnus joined hands and led the way down the stairs and out to the land surrounding Ragnor’s home. 

There was an apple tree that stood in the corner of the property, and Ragnor had told Magnus and Catarina that he wanted to be buried there when the time came. As they approached, Catarina magicked a hole in the ground, the dirt carefully piling up on either side of the grave. Magnus felt a pang, wishing more than anything that he could help. It was so difficult, watching Catarina take the burden of digging Ragnor’s grave by herself. He should be helping her, their magic knitting together. 

Alec and Raphael moved out of the way as Catarina and Dot floated the coffin down into the grave. Once it was safely at the bottom of the hole, Catarina bent to pick up a handful of dirt, throwing it into the grave. 

“Goodbye,” she said softly, her voice thready. “I’ll miss you.”

Dot picked up a handful of dirt and threw it in the same way Catarina had. “You were a force of nature, life won’t be the same without you. It kills me that you won’t be here to see Madzie grow up.” 

“You helped me…” Alec rasped, clearing his throat as he picked up some dirt, “you helped me to realise who I am, and you taught me to care about what I wanted. I’ll…” He shook his head, biting into his lip, “I’ll never forget you, Ragnor.” He tossed the dirt into the grave.

Magnus rubbed Alec’s back, his other hand clutching a fistful of dirt. “You made me the man I am today,” he said, his heart aching. “Goodbye, old friend.” Once he’d let the dirt in his hand drop onto the coffin, he turned into Alec’s side, the two of them clutching at each other. 

Raphael sniffed as he picked up the dirt. “You showed me that you don’t need a lover to be happy. I… I never told you how much that meant to me. Thank you, Ragnor.” Magnus reached out his hand to squeeze Raphael’s shoulder as the vampire tossed the dirt into the grave. 

“Are we ready?” Catarina asked tearfully, swiping at the wetness on her cheeks. 

“I don’t think we’ll ever be ready,” Dot admitted, and everyone hummed in agreement.

“Do it,” Raphael said miserably, stepping back from the grave to run his hand down his face. 

Dot and Catarina moved the dirt from the sides of the grave to fill the hole, covering Ragnor’s coffin and burying him. Once the dirt was back in place, Dot conjured some wildflowers to cover the grave. 

“They’re beautiful, Dot,” Magnus murmured.

“I don’t want to leave,” Catarina said softly, looking down at the grave. “I don’t want to leave him here.”

“He’ll be with us,” Raphael promised, “he’ll watch over us.”

“And complain about every bad decision we make,” Alec added, which prompted a quiet chuckle from the group. 

~~~~~~~~~~

“Thank you to everyone who came today to honour Bat,” Maia said, her eyes on the piece of paper she’d put on the podium in front of her. “Bat was turned into a wolf against his consent, but he was never bitter. From the moment he realised what he was, he tried his hardest to be a good packmate. He was a true friend, and loyal to a fault. There was not a bad bone in his body. He…” Maia shook her head, her throat catching. “He deserved better than this. He deserved the best that life has to offer. He was not a fighter, but he insisted on being here, on helping us save the innocent downworlders that the Clave was experimenting on. He ran with his pack right to the end.” She sniffed, looking up from the paper. “It says here that he was a hero, but he didn’t want to be a hero. He didn’t want to die. He didn’t want to give his life for this cause. He didn’t die in a blaze of glory, as a warrior. He was just trying to be a good beta, he was trying to help us win this fight, and he was unnecessarily, brutally, murdered by a shadowhunter who made it her life’s work to enslave and abuse downworlders.” Maia was breathing hard, her hands clenched on the side of the podium. “I don’t want Bat to be remembered as a hero who willingly gave his life for some ideal, because he didn’t. I want him to be remembered as a reminder to every shadowhunter of the cruelty that you are capable of. He was a good person. He was sweet, loving, kind, gentle, loyal and brave. He deserved better than to be stabbed forty-three times. Forty-FUCKING-three!” Maia shouted, her eyes blurring with tears. “He deserved better than that. And I will never let anyone forget it.”

She stepped back and walked off the stage, sitting down hard on the only empty seat in the front row. It took everything she had not to break down, her lip wobbling. She dug her nails into her hands, willing herself to keep it together. Luke happened to be sitting on the seat next to hers, and he put his arm around her shoulders, giving her a squeeze. Part of her wanted to push him away, but she just slumped, her face screwing up as she began to cry. 

The rest of the ceremony was a blur. Some other people got up to make eulogies, and then Bat’s headstone was laid. Luke steered Maia to the graveside, keeping his arm securely around her. Clary stood on the other side of her, holding her hand, while Izzy stood behind them, her arm around Maia’s waist. Once everyone broke away from the grave to go to the wake outside in the square, Maia turned to hug her two girlfriends. They all held each other for a few minutes, until Maia’s sobbing quietened and finally stopped.

“I’ll go and get you some water,” Clary promised softly, thumbing through the moisture on Maia’s cheek.

“I don’t know if I can go out there,” Maia admitted, clinging onto Izzy’s hand. 

“You don’t have to,” Izzy assured her, “we’ll stay here while Clary gets you a drink. Do you wanna sit down?” 

Maia nodded, letting Izzy pull her back towards the chairs set out in the Hall of Heroes. There were several cordoned off sections in the big hallway; the shadowhunter ‘heroes’ buried in the legendary hall who’d committed atrocities against downworlders were being moved from the hall to the Cemetery of the Disgraced. Alec and Lorenzo had decided that it was the appropriate thing to do. It was a gesture that Maia appreciated; she hadn’t liked the idea of Bat resting alongside people who’d inspired his killer. Lydia herself had been buried in the Cemetery of the Disgraced the day before. 

“Do shadowhunters believe in an afterlife?” Maia asked, leaning against Izzy, who’d sat down next to her.

“Some do,” Izzy answered, “we know that at least some corrupt souls are snatched up by greater demons, but we don’t know for sure what happens when we die.”

“Since heaven exists,” Maia replied, “and god exists, it would make sense, right?” 

“Well… No-one’s ever seen god, but I guess you could say that since the angels exist, god must too.” 

“You’re a shadowhunter and you don’t believe in god?” 

“I think there’s probably someone in charge of the angels, but… I wouldn’t call them my god. What have they done to earn my worship?” She shrugged. “They allowed atrocities to be done in their name for too long. I don’t care how powerful they are, that’s wrong.” 

Maia nodded, sniffing. “That makes sense.”

“What about you?” Izzy asked, fiddling with some of Maia’s curls. 

“Haven’t really thought much about it in the last few years,” Maia answered, her eyes on the marble block that had been placed behind Bat’s headstone. It would be carved into a statue of him in the next few days. “But knowing all that I know now, about angels and demons… Heaven is a place, it exists. And if anybody deserves to be there, it’s Bat.”

“I agree,” Izzy murmured, “he was good, pure good. It radiated out of him.”

Maia nodded, her throat growing thick again. “Yeah.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“I don’t want you to go,” Aline admitted into Helen’s neck, her eyes squeezed shut. 

“I don’t wanna go either,” Helen countered, squeezing Aline tightly, “but I have to. It’s my duty.”

Aline knew she was right. But it didn’t make it easier for her to let go. “How long will you be gone?” 

“Just a few hours,” Helen assured her, “it’s not like I was inner circle, I’ll be able to leave after the public ceremony.”

“Okay,” Aline slowly let go of her girlfriend, releasing her clinging hold on Helen’s shirt. “I think I’m going to go back to New York, check on the Institute. Meet me there?” 

Helen nodded, cupping Aline’s face to give her a soft kiss. “Promise. I’ll see you in a few hours.” She knew that Aline was struggling to figure out how to feel about their triumph over the Clave and her mother. If she could’ve chosen, she’d have stayed with Aline rather than attend the service for the Seelie Queen. 

As Aline stepped back with a little wave, Helen smiled at her, though her mind was on her own complex feelings. Helen had respected the Seelie Queen as a leader, and knew how important she was to the seelies who lived in her realm, but Helen also knew how difficult the Seelie Queen had been with the shadowhunters. And though Helen could understand her point of view, she was also part shadowhunter, and she knew that the Seelie Queen had withheld a lot of information over the years that could’ve made everyone’s lives easier.

And then there was the way that the Queen had treated her, in particular. Helen’s mother had told her that the Seelie Queen had encouraged her union with Helen’s father, but as Helen grew up she always felt a chill from the Queen. It had been surprising to her when the Queen insisted that she train with the seelies rather than attend the Academy with her shadowhunter peers. She’d assumed up until then that the Queen didn’t want her around. And over the last few years, their relationship had improved… In a way. The Queen spoke to Helen with ever-increasing fondness, though as far as she could tell, Helen hadn’t done anything in particular to warrant it. It was strange, and Helen didn’t trust it. 

Pushing her gripes with the leader away as she watched the portal disappear, Helen turned to walk into the palace. The seelies were grave once more; apparently they’d cried all their tears already. The Seelie Queen was lying on a slab of rock, flowers blooming between its cracks. When Helen walked in, the knights that had been standing guard at either end of the Queen’s resting place went down onto one knee, and everyone in the room turned to look at Helen, whispering breaking out among them.

Meliorn strode up the aisle, a smile on his face. Helen followed him when he led her into the room that had served as the Queen’s dressing room. Once they were alone, Meliorn conjured a light green scroll. “The Queen’s final decree has been read. I’m sorry that you were not here to hear it.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry, there was a lot for me to do at Omnis.” Helen told him. “Anything I should know?”

“Well, yes.” Meliorn handed it to her. “She named her heir.”

“Oh, cool,” Helen nodded, unrolling the scroll. The Seelie Queen rarely had children of her own, and even when she did, the Queen had the right to choose the individual who inherited her powers and position. “Who is it?” 

“It’s you, Helen.” Meliorn said gently, putting his hand on her shoulder. “She chose you.”

Helen blinked, her mind grinding to a halt. “Wait… What?” 

“The Queen chose you as her heir. You are to become the Seelie Queen.” He told her more slowly, “you will ring in the new era of peace and equality between the seelies and shadowhunters. Her decree tells us that your birth was planned, that you were to mature just in time for this battle, and that you were to be declared the Seelie Queen for an age of peace.” 

“That’s… Meliorn, you have to know that that’s… Bananas! I can’t be the Queen! Are you kidding me? You have to choose somebody else.”

“There is nobody else,” Meliorn insisted, “nobody in the whole world who can do what you can. You alone can herald in this new era for our people. Yes, I imagine it is incredibly daunting, but you were born for this, Helen. It’s inside of you. It’s always been inside of you.”

Helen shook her head. “She… So you’re telling me that this whole thing, the battle with the Clave, she knew that was coming? She knew she was going to die?” 

“The Queen sees things that no-one else ever could,” Meliorn nodded, “she knew when her time would come. She gave her life gladly so that you could take her place. She served us in a time where we needed protection from the shadowhunters. She could not rule a world where shadowhunters are no longer our enemies. She needed you to take over. WE need you to take over.” 

“I-I… I don’t know how.”

Meliorn smiled. “And you think she knew, before she took her place as Queen? Once you go through the inheritance ritual, everything will become clear.” 

Helen squeezed her eyes shut and blinked quickly a few times, trying to end whatever bizarre dream this was. When she found that she wasn’t waking up, she put one hand to her forehead and the other to her hip. “Meliorn, this is unbelievable.”

“I imagine it’s a lot to accept,” Meliorn agreed, “but that does not negate its truth.”

“I have to go and talk to Aline,” Helen took a step back, but Meliorn’s grip on her arm grew tighter. “Meliorn-”

“You can’t leave the realm, not until the inheritance ritual is complete.” 

“Aline is expecting me back, I told her I’d only be a couple of hours!” She insisted, trying to tug out of his hold, but it didn’t budge. 

“She must wait.” He told her, his tone leaving no room for argument. “The realm is without a Queen. We cannot wait, chaos will befall us if we are without a leader for too long.”

“Then you have to go and get her and bring her here! Or at least send a messenger to tell her where I am!” 

“All seelie knights must be present, to swear fealty to you. Your lover can wait.” Meliorn pressed, “you have no choice.”

Helen swallowed hard. “I don’t? You’ll force me to become Queen if I refuse?” 

“You will not refuse,” Meliorn said evenly, “because you were meant for this. You cannot fight your destiny. Look inside yourself, and be honest. This is inside you.”

“Meliorn, this is all happening too fast-”

“And yet you haven’t broken a sweat.” Meliorn countered, “no panic, your heart rate is as steady as sleep. Don’t you find that odd?” 

Helen realised he was right. She was confused, and overwhelmed with questions, but the only thing she was worried about really was Aline. There was a calmness beneath the confusion, a calmness that Helen hadn’t felt since she was a child. She hadn’t felt it since she’d integrated with shadowhunter culture. “It doesn’t make any sense, I know nothing about ruling.”

“You will inherit the Queen’s experience, memories, knowledge. You have nothing to fear.” 

Helen swallowed hard. “How long will the ritual take?” 

“The records say two days, at least,” Meliorn admitted, “this ritual is a rare one, for obvious reasons. I have never seen it performed.” 

“Right,” Helen nodded, looking down at herself. She’d changed into a dress for the Queen’s funeral, but looking at it now, it looked woefully inadequate. 

“You will choose your own inner circle,” Meliorn assured her, “but for now, the Queen’s handmaidens will attend to you.” As if they’d been waiting for their cue, the Queen’s three handmaidens filed into the dressing room, and Meliorn bowed deeply. “The ritual will begin as soon as you’re ready.”

Once he was gone, the handmaidens sized Helen up. Helen smiled at them, trying not to fidget. “So, uh… What are your names?” 

“I’m Yfre,” the middle one said, “and these are Amna and Llilrah. I think that you will need a different set of colours than Her Majesty who came before you.”

“You look pale,” Llilrah agreed, “too long in the earthly plane.”

“She’ll soon blossom,” Amna added, “but for now, perhaps a pale green, or lilac?” 

“Emerald would also work,” Yfre speculated, waving her hands to conjure her magic.

“Whatever you say,” Helen shrugged, “I’ve never been very good at dressing myself.”

“You’re in excellent hands, Your Majesty,” Llilrah assured her.

Helen tilted her head slightly. The title would take some getting used to.

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Alec was exhausted. After returning from Ragnor’s funeral, he had to get a portal back to Alicante to attend his father’s burial in the Cemetery of the Disgraced with his Mom, Izzy and Max. He’d barely slept the night before, between his residual adrenaline from the battle and his worrying about Magnus, his Mom, Izzy, Aline… Now, though, he was ready to fall into bed and sleep for a week. 

He was so happy to arrive back at the Institute, his shoulders sagging with relief as he trudged down the familiar corridor towards his quarters. When Aline caught up with him, a selfish part of him wanted to tell her to come back to him in twelve hours, but she looked awful. Her eyes were dry and red, and she was hugging herself tightly. 

“Come on,” he murmured, “come in,” he opened the door to his quarters for her, rubbing his face as he shut the door behind him. “What’s up?”

“I don’t know how to feel,” Aline admitted in a small voice. “I’m glad that we won, obviously, but… They’re probably gonna kill my Mom, aren’t they?” 

“We don’t know what the new council will decide,” Alec pointed out, “I know that Lorenzo is hoping to hear from some deruned shadowhunters who’ve been reformed, like my Mom. He, at least, doesn’t want to execute en masse. Something about being concerned about uprisings among the surviving shadowhunters. It won’t make the council popular if they just implement the death penalty for everybody. They know that.”

“But Lorenzo’s not the only person on the council,” Aline replied. “Maia will want revenge for Bat… And I can’t blame her. What happened to him was unforgivable.”

“We can’t guess at what they’re gonna do,” Alec reminded her, “there’s no point in jumping to a worst case scenario. If the worst happens, we’ll all be here for you. You know that. But anything could happen. We don’t know who will win these downworld elections, and we don’t know what the downworld council will do with their new powers. What I do know is that Maia and Raphael aren’t spiteful people, Lorenzo is determined to make himself look as magnanimous as possible, and the seelies will do whatever the new Queen thinks is the right course of action. But whatever happens, we’re not going to let you go through it alone.” 

Aline smiled slightly at him, coming close to hug him. “Thanks, Alec. I needed to hear that.” 

“We’ve got you, Ale,” Alec promised, squeezing her tight. “You’re family. Now more than ever.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“So how do you like LA?” Myra asked, glancing sideways at her brother as she sipped her smoothie. 

Raj hummed, adjusting his sunglasses as he looked out at the beach stretching out in front of them. “I love it. New York sucks when the sun is out like this. This is… Nice.” 

“I could never go back to New York now,” Myra agreed. “LA suits you, you know. You should think about staying.”

“I’d love to,” Raj admitted, “but Alec needs me.”

Myra arched her eyebrow. “That the only reason you’re so determined to stay in New York?” 

“What other reason would I have?” 

“That cute vampire I saw you with in Alicante, maybe…” There was a mischievous glint in her eye, and Raj snorted. 

“Just like you to get invested in my love life. And I don’t remember coming out to you.” He said pointedly.

Myra sighed, swivelling on the bench to face her big brother. “You never had to.”

“Didn’t know werewolves could read minds,” Raj teased, taking a long slurp of his smoothie.

“Reading minds had nothing to do with it, you used to follow that Cartwright boy around like a puppy when we were in the academy.”

Raj cleared his throat. “I didn’t think anybody knew about that.” 

“Doesn’t matter now, anyway. Heard he’s locked up in Alicante.” Myra sniffed, turning back to look out at the sea. 

“I wish that surprised me,” Raj muttered, “he was always a bit of an asshole.”

“Have you heard anything… About Mom and Dad?” Myra asked nervously, stirring her smoothie with the straw. 

“I don’t know for sure,” Raj stressed, “but they weren’t in the list of the dead or imprisoned. Presumably they stayed out of the fight, but rumour has it that their Institute plans to support the new regime. I haven’t heard from them directly, but I haven’t been to my office, so… I’ll find out when I get back. I’ll tell you as soon as I know something for sure.”

“They didn’t fight with the Clave?” Myra looked surprised, her perfectly sculpted eyebrows arched. “That’s… Surprising.”

“Maybe they’ve had a change of heart.”

“I hope so,” Myra smiled slightly, shifting closer to Raj and threading her arm through his, the siblings leaning together as they looked out at the mundanes frolicking on the beach. “I really hope so.”

~~~~~~~~~~

It occurred to Magnus, as he stepped out of the portal outside his front door, that he wasn’t carrying a house key. He couldn’t remember if he’d magically locked the door when he left. Luckily, as he grasped the doorknob, the door opened from the inside. He was relieved to see Alec standing there, and gave him a tired smile.

“I hope it’s okay that I let myself in,” he mumbled, “I couldn’t sleep at the Institute.” 

“I’m glad you’re here,” Magnus assured him, taking Alec’s hand as he walked into the apartment. “I assumed you were gonna stay in Omnis tonight.”

“Nah,” Alec answered, “I belong here.” 

Magnus paused as they arrived at the bedroom, realising that he’d have to change and put away his clothes by hand. He almost felt like crying; he was so tired, and he couldn’t find the energy to start unbuttoning all the layers he was wearing. Alec picked up on Magnus’ hesitance, and steered him to sit down on the bed. 

“Here, let me,” Alec insisted, kneeling down to unlace Magnus’ boots.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I know, but you’re exhausted, emotionally and physically. I want to.” 

Magnus sighed. “You’re exhausted too.” 

“True,” Alec smiled slightly, tugging Magnus’ boots off, “but I can count the number of times you’ve actually let me help you do anything on one hand, so tough titties.”

Magnus snorted, unbuttoning his waistcoat as Alec went to put his shoes away. “Alright, alright. Just this once.”

Alec tutted and batted Magnus’ hands away when he came back, carefully divesting Magnus of his outfit piece by piece. “Do you reckon you’ll wear simpler outfits now that you don’t have your powers to put it all on every morning and take it off every night?” 

“And compromise my impeccable standards? Hell no,” Magnus answered good-naturedly, “I’ll just have to pencil in an extra half hour to get ready every morning.”

“That had better not cut into cuddle time,” Alec teased, folding Magnus’ shirt and placing it on top of the waistcoat on the bed. He pressed a kiss to Magnus’ shoulder, who hummed softly in response. 

“I wouldn’t dream of cutting into cuddle time,” Magnus smiled, feeling better already. The ache of loss already felt like it had been softened just a little, just through Alec’s presence, his love. “I’ll have even more time for cuddle time now that I’m a mundane.”

Alec huffed quietly. “I doubt that very much. You’re still an expert in just about every kind of magic, I bet you that you’ll still be just as busy.” 

“Perhaps,” Magnus mused, “I suppose I’d better find something to keep myself occupied with, now that you’re going to be back and forth to Omnis.” 

“I’m not going anywhere,” Alec shrugged, “I meant it when I said that I would go back to my job running the Institute. I’m not gonna be involved in Omnis, it’s not my place.” 

“Alexander, you were a major player in this uprising, they’re going to expect-”

“I don’t care what they expect,” Alec said gently, tugging Magnus’ trousers down his legs, “I’m going to stay here, with you. After a few days off, I’m going to go into the Institute and redistribute the roles among downworlders as well as some of the shadowhunters who decide to stay, and we’ll go back to normal. Sorting out demons, making sure there aren’t any major problems, and coming home to you every night without fail.”

Magnus lifted his hips, and as Alec folded his trousers up to add to the pile, Magnus reached out to cup his cheek, guiding their mouths together. It was nice, having Alec looming over him like this. Magnus’ other hand braced against Alec’s chest and slid up over his shoulder, revelling in his warmth seeping through his shirt. “I love you so much,” he mumbled between kisses, “so much.”

“I love you too,” Alec returned, one knee on the bed next to Magnus’ hips. “Lie back, I’ll go and put these clothes away and I’ll be right with you.” 

Magnus pulled off his socks and tossed them into the laundry basket. Alec dropped Magnus’ shirt and his own in as well, before retreating to the walk-in closet to hang up the waistcoat and trousers. His eyes heavy, Magnus shuffled up the bed and got under the covers. The moment his head hit the pillow he sighed, relieved to finally be in his own bed. As he watched Alec putter around, guilt and a tiny bit of irritation crept in. Was this going to be their life together now? Alec babying Magnus, Magnus lying here useless? 

“Alexander?” 

“Mmmm?”

“I…” He frowned, trying to figure out what exactly he wanted to say. “I don’t feel good,” is what he finally landed on. Alec left the waistcoat on the side for the moment, coming back to the bed. 

“That’s understandable,” he murmured, climbing into bed next to Magnus. “You’ve been through hell the last couple of days. Literally and figuratively.”

“I didn’t realise how empty I’d feel once my magic was gone,” Magnus admitted quietly, shuffling close enough to Alec to cuddle. “I didn’t think it would be this hard.”

Alec sighed, pressing his face into Magnus’ hair. “I was afraid you were going to say that.”

“I don’t regret it,” Magnus insisted, “it was what I had to do to make sure that we won the fight. It saved a lot of lives. It’s selfish of me to-”

“Your feelings aren’t selfish. You are the opposite of selfish, Magnus. Don’t you dare apologise for feeling lousy right now, you’ve earned the right to feel that way.” Alec rubbed Magnus’ back, closing his eyes. “I just wish I could make it better.”

“You already have, a little,” Magnus assured him, rubbing his cheek into Alec’s chest, his ear pressed against the hairy skin, listening to Alec’s heartbeat. 

“Good,” Alec mumbled. 

“How are you doing? Your father’s funeral must’ve been tough.” 

“The worst part was seeing Max cry,” Alec admitted, “I don’t think it’s hit me yet. I don’t really feel anything about it. I’m more upset about Ragnor, to be honest. Ragnor did more for me than Dad ever did.”

“Ragnor… He was special to a lot of people. The world is a darker place without him in it.” Magnus said, swallowing against the thickening in his throat. “Thank you for coming to his burial today. I needed you there.”

“I feel…” Alec sighed, squeezing Magnus a little tighter. “I don’t know what I feel.”

“I know what you mean,” Magnus replied, “it’s like there’s this… Hurricane of conflicting emotions, and it’s all I can do to stop myself from just… Going up to the roof to scream.”

“But you’re also scared of the storm calming, of what will be left behind when it’s over.” Alec added, the same feeling swirling inside him.

Magnus nodded. “Exactly.”

“We’ll be here for each other,” Alec promised, both to himself and to Magnus. “Whatever happens.”

“I don’t know who I am now,” Magnus said quietly, “I don’t know who I am without my magic. I’m just… Ordinary. Insignificant.”

“Not to me,” Alec pointed out, “you’ll never be ordinary to me.” 

Magnus smiled slightly, breathing Alec in. He believed that Alec meant that. It helped, somewhat. “I love you, Alexander.”

“Love you too,” Alec returned, kissing Magnus’ hair. 

~~~~~~~~~~

“Okay, this is killing me,” Maia said, setting her fork down. “Someone talk about something, I’m losing my mind.”

“Sorry,” Clary grimaced. 

“Who do you think is gonna end up getting voted onto the council?” Izzy asked tactfully. The three of them had been eating breakfast in silence for the last ten minutes, still reeling from the funerals from the day before. 

Maia sighed in relief. “Well, I guess I’m standing for the wolves. The pack wants to stay in Omnis for a few weeks, and I want to know that this new regime works. I don’t want it to end up corrupt. I think a couple of other alphas from other packs are going to stand too, but I don’t know any of them. Luke mentioned that he was thinking of it too.” 

“You’ll win for sure,” Clary said, “you were the first alpha to join the fight.”

“We’ll see,” Maia smiled slightly, squeezing Clary’s hand. She knew that Clary was struggling to keep it all together, with both Maia and Izzy grieving.

“You’d be great,” Izzy agreed, “you don’t mince words. People respect that.” 

“I’d have to learn to be less blunt,” Maia mused, “that’d be something, huh?”

“I’ll believe that when I see it,” Clary teased, and Maia snorted, nudging her. “What’ll be really interesting is to see which shadowhunter ends up with the position.” 

“Yeah, I mean, I thought Alec would’ve had it for sure, but he seems determined to go back to New York permanently.” Izzy shrugged, “I’m thinking about standing, but I don’t know.”

“I think you should,” Maia asserted, “you’ve been fighting for downworlder equality from day one. It would suck if some politician swept in and stole your thunder.”

“Yeah, Iz, you should definitely stand. You’ve got good relationships with all the sections of the downworld.” Clary nodded, “and you make a great speech.”

“What about you?” Izzy asked Clary, “you killed Valentine twice, stopped Lilith… You’d probably be pretty popular too.” 

Clary snorted. “I think we all know that I am not a politician.”

“I don’t know, you’re just as righteously angry as I am,” Maia shrugged, “you could be good too.”

“I’m also Valentine’s daughter,” Clary reminded them, “I don’t think it would be appropriate. Besides, I don’t want a desk job. I’m way too restless for that.”

“Do you think Aline would stand?” Maia wondered out loud, “she was brought up in politics.”

“She’s also the daughter of the ex-Consul,” Izzy reminded her, “I don’t know, I would imagine she’d have the same attitude as Clary. Raj could stand though, he’s quietly ambitious, I think.”

“Mmmmm, maybe. And we have no idea who might run from different parts of the world.” Clary mused. 

“I wouldn’t bet against Izzy, though. Like you said, all the sections of the downworld respect her, she’s related to Alec, she’s got angel blood… I think you’ll win by a landslide, to be honest.” Maia shrugged.

Izzy was a little nervous at the idea. “You really think so? My parents won’t count against me?”

“I mean Maryse is basically the poster girl for rehabilitation, look at how far she’s come since I first met you. And Robert…”

“Is dead,” Izzy continued, her eyebrows furrowing. 

“Sorry,” Clary mumbled, her cheeks burning.

“It’s alright,” Izzy assured her, “it’s a fact.”

“So what do you think?” Maia asked, keen to steer the conversation away from grief, “reckon you want the job?” 

“I… I think so, but it seems like a lot of pressure.” 

“It wouldn’t be that different from running an Institute, I don’t think,” Clary said, “except you’d have, like, a lot more staff.”

“Understatement of the century,” Maia smiled. 

“I guess we’ll see,” Izzy said, setting down her fork and resting her elbows on the table. “As long as I’m not completely separated from the two of you, I think I could do it.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Clary promised, “if it came down to it, I guess I wouldn’t mind moving here. Maybe I could be like, a shadowhunter Nazi hunter. I bet there’s still Circle members out there. I could learn to track them. That would be cool.”

“That sounds like a plan to me,” Maia agreed, “you’d be great at that.”

“But you love New York.”

“I love you more,” Clary insisted, her hand closing over Izzy’s.

“I’d have to see what the pack wanted,” Maia mused, “whether they’d choose to stay here, or go back to New York. Russell and the furries are going to try and find that feral pack in the forest, so… They might choose to stay.” 

“If you could choose, if it was just you, where would you want to be?” Izzy asked.

Maia shrugged one shoulder. “With you two.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Clary asserted, “all three of us. We’ll make it work.” It was said with such conviction that neither Maia or Izzy could argue.

~~~~~~~~~~

Simon hated portals, but he was glad to be back in New York, in his room at the Hotel DuMort. The first thing he did was to take his guitar off its stand and sit on the bed. For as long as he could remember, he’d channelled his strong emotions into music, and losing Bat had broken his heart like no ex ever had. Bat’s kindness haunted him. Every time Simon had a second to himself, he’d remember a moment of his friendship with Bat, a time Bat had shown him the depth of his good heart.

The time Bat had let Simon sleep on his couch after an argument with Raphael.

The time Bat had surprised Simon with tickets to the first showing of Avengers Endgame.

The time Bat had sat in the Jade Wolf with him helping him learn to eat again.

The time Bat had shown up at his place with A positive after that shit with Quinn.

The times Bat had protected Simon from the other wolves, going against his whole pack to keep Simon safe.

He strummed at his guitar aimlessly for a while, staring into space and turning those moments over and over in his head. He should have appreciated Bat more while he was here. He should’ve stuck with the wolves in the battle. 

He turned his eyes to the door when he heard a gentle knock, and called out for whoever it was to come in, setting aside his guitar for the moment. “Raphael?”

“We need to talk,” Raphael murmured, grasping Simon’s desk chair and wheeling it across so he could sit opposite Simon. 

“What is it?” Simon asked. His mind immediately jumped to what he could’ve done to piss off the older vampire. After all, Raphael only really came to his room when he needed to yell at Simon. 

“I’ve been chosen for a position on the Omnis council,” Raphael told him, knitting his fingers together and resting his hands on his knee. “When I leave to take up that position, the Hotel DuMort will need leadership. That burden will fall to you.”

Simon raised his eyebrows. “I can’t… I mean, come on, Raphael, you know I’m barely capable of looking after myself, let alone-”

“You have no choice,” Raphael told him, “they’ve wanted you to be their leader for almost a year now. They’ll accept no-one else.”

“Well, they’re gonna have to, because I know nothing about leading a clan.” 

“You can’t be any worse than Camille.” Raphael pointed out, “all you have to do is listen to their problems and make sure to pay the blood banks on time.”

Simon folded his arms. “If it’s such a nothing job, why were you so desperate to take over from Camille?” 

“Because I care about this clan.” Raphael replied sharply. “It’s time you started caring about something other than yourself. You’re a part of this family whether you like it or not. It’s time to start acting like it.”

“I just lost my best friend!” Simon snapped, getting to his feet.

“And I just lost the man who may as well have been my father!” Raphael shouted, jabbing Simon in the shoulder with his finger, his lower lip trembling, “get over yourself! That’s war! That’s life! That is the reality of what we are, Simon! We lose people, we lose everybody, and we carry on. We are forever. You might think this is fun, some superhero story, but this life is a curse and a prison! It is PAST time for you to realise that! Grow up, Simon! The fun’s over! Grow up!”

Simon swallowed hard, deflating. “Raphael, I-”

“Get a hold of yourself and recognise that you have responsibilities.” Raphael muttered, turning on his heel and flitting out of the room. Simon sighed and sat back down on his bed, putting his head in his hands.

~~~~~~~~~~

Once he was sure that he’d squeezed all the juice that he possibly could from the oranges he’d bought, Magnus plucked one of the roses from the bouquet Lorenzo had sent over on behalf of the warlocks of New York to honour Ragnor and popped it in a little vase he’d dug out of a cupboard in the apothecary. He rinsed his hands off and wiped them on a rag that he’d tossed over his shoulder, and picked up the breakfast tray. When he pushed the bedroom door open with his hip, he was glad to see that Alec was still asleep. His boyfriend could sleep through any noise except his ringtone; it never failed to amaze Magnus. Setting the tray on the floor next to the bed, Magnus sat next to Alec and shook him gently, bending to kiss his cheek. 

“Alexander,” Magnus murmured, “it’s morning.”

“Mmmmmm…” Alec turned over and snuggled into Magnus’ hip, his arm circling Magnus’ lap. He made a noise of discontentment in the back of his throat. “You’re dressed,” he croaked, cracking his eyes open. 

“I’ve been busy,” Magnus answered brightly, bending down to pick up the tray, “making breakfast.”

“Oh?” Alec sat up, his eyes on the tray. “You didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to,” Magnus shrugged, “it was nice to get out of the house before sunrise. Walking through this city when it’s at its quiet is… An unexpected joy. I got the oranges for the juice from the market a few blocks away, along with the eggs. Unfortunately,” he frowned, lifting up the half-filled glass of juice, “I underestimated how many I’d need.”

Alec chuckled, his voice rough from sleep. “Babe, you realise that orange juice can just be bought in a carton, right?” 

Magnus’ eyebrows knitted together. “It can? Oh. I… I’ve just been conjuring it from a restaurant around the corner for the last few decades. I suppose my knowledge of groceries is a little… Outdated.”

“Well, I’d love to take you to a grocery store and show you around the twenty-first century,” Alec grinned, leaning in for a kiss. 

“Maybe another day,” Magnus said breezily, getting up from the bed. “I’ve planned out our day already.” 

“Yeah?” Alec asked, picking at the french toast. He was a little grumpy that he’d been denied his kiss, but he couldn’t exactly blame Magnus for not being in the mood for physical intimacy, so he tried his best to stamp down on his neediness. “What do you have in mind?” 

Magnus pulled a small notepad out of his back pocket. “There’s an exhibition on at the MET by some young trans artists that I thought you might like, then on the way to the street food circus in Harlem we can call into this new bubble tea place that opened up outside the subway there. After lunch we can head over to a matinee of-”

“That sounds very… Well-planned.” Alec said carefully, “but I was hoping we could just… Spend time together. Quiet time.” 

Magnus frowned. “But this is time together.” 

“Well, yeah, but it sounds like we’ll be running around the city all day with no time to really appreciate any of it. We have time, Magnus, there’s no looming crisis, we have all the time in the world-”

“No, we don’t,” Magnus answered sharply, “we absolutely do not have all the time in the world, Alexander.” 

Alec set the food back down on the tray and shuffled around so he was sitting on the edge of the bed. “What’s this about, Magnus?” 

“I’m going to start aging,” Magnus pointed out, flicking through his notepad, “in a few years I won’t be able to walk across the city. We have to make the most of the youth we have left. Look at me, Alexander, my body looks thirty. I’ll be dead in fifty years. That’s a heartbeat.”

“Magnus,” Alec got up and took Magnus’ hands in his own. “In fifty years time, when we’re both old men, I’m not going to remember the new bubble tea place we tried on the way home from some art exhibit. I’m going to remember the moments when I looked at you and saw you smiling or laughing and fell in love with you all over again. We don’t need to do all this fancy stuff to have a good life together.”

“That’s very sweet, Alexander,” Magnus mumbled, “but I… I need to be busy.”

Alec cupped his cheek, thumb brushing under Magnus’ eye. “A lot has happened. You’ve been through more than anyone should ever have to go through, but it won’t always feel like this.”

“You don’t know that,” Magnus answered, shaking his head. “I lost my magic. It’s gone forever. I don’t know…” He swallowed hard, stepping away from Alec, “I don’t know how I’m ever going to feel normal ever again.”

More than anything, Alec wanted to insist that it would get better with time, that he’d get used to being mundane, but he knew if he’d been deruned, he wouldn’t want to hear that. “That’s not going to stop me from trying to make you happy,” Alec insisted gently, “I promise.”

Magnus moved in close again, letting Alec hug him tightly. “I want to be happy. But…” He pushed his face into Alec’s neck, squeezing his eyes shut. “I don’t know… If I’ll ever be the same.”

“That won’t stop me from loving you forever,” Alec promised. He rubbed Magnus’ back with one hand, the other coming up to rub the spiky short hair on the back of Magnus’ head. “I’m going to do everything I can to make you feel whole again.” He meant that. There had to be a way to get Magnus’ magic back. 

He was going to find it if it killed him.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Have you seen Helen anywhere?” Aline asked Clary, “I’ve been looking for her everywhere. I figured she must’ve come out here when she left the seelie realm.”

Clary shook her head. “Sorry, I haven’t seen her. Maybe the funeral is taking longer than she expected. Have you tried tracking her?” 

“Not yet,” Aline admitted, “that’s my next move.” She pulled one of Helen’s steles from her back pocket. “I didn’t wanna be that overbearing girlfriend, you know what I mean?” 

The tracking rune didn’t take. Clary put her hand on Aline’s shoulder. “She must still be in the seelie realm, why don’t I make you a portal?”

“You wouldn’t mind?” Aline checked, and Clary shook her head. 

“I’ve never made one to the seelie realm, so bear with me.” Clary fished her stele out of her pocket, twirling it between her fingers for a moment before setting it to her hand. She focussed on the hazy forests of the seelie realm, drawing the portal rune into her palm. Like Aline’s tracking rune, though, it didn’t take. It fizzled out on Clary’s skin and faded. “Seems like the realm is closed. I guess because they don’t have a Queen right now.”

Aline frowned. “You’d think Helen would send me, I don’t know, a fire message, or something. She’s been there almost a whole day.” 

“Why don’t you send a fire message? Correct me if I’m wrong but doesn’t time pass kinda differently in the seelie realm? Maybe she’s just lost track of the time.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Aline agreed, raising her stele into the air and scrawling a quick message for Helen expressing her concern. The glowing words twisted and spun, and after a moment disappeared, hopefully to wherever Helen was. 

“See, it took. Helen’s definitely okay, she must just have been held up in the seelie realm for some reason. Maybe we could take a look at some of the books in the library, see if we can find some information on the funeral of the last Seelie Queen? It might make you feel better.” Clary suggested, but Aline shook her head.

“It’s alright. I should be working on my Mom’s case anyway. I’m working with Alec’s Mom on arguing for deruning as rehabilitation.”

Clary nodded. “Sounds like a good use of your time. Have you gone to visit her?” 

“Maryse?” Aline asked innocently.

“No,” Clary scoffed, “Jia. She must be scared.” 

“She deserves to be scared,” Aline insisted, folding her arms. “Did you read the interview transcripts from those downworlders they freed from those labs?”

“Not yet,” Clary admitted, “I’ve been spending most of my time supporting Maia and Izzy.”

Aline nodded, biting the inside of her cheek. “How do you deal with the fact that Valentine was your father?” 

“Well…” Clary leaned against the wall, looking at Aline thoughtfully. “I guess that I know that he and I were never aligned. I never knew him as my father, I just knew him as a violent monster. That helped, I guess. But aside from that… There was a part of me that felt tainted, knowing that we were related, especially when I thought that I had demon blood. But Izzy helped to remind me that I wasn’t responsible for his evil. And fighting against him, I mean, that helped to lessen my guilt. The fact that I was actively trying to stop him kept me from blaming myself or feeling guilty about my relation to him. And you helped bring down the system that let your Mom hurt downworlders, so… I think you should be proud of yourself for that. There’s nothing harder than standing against people you love and coming to terms with the fact that they are not good people. At least… That’s what Izzy told me.”

“Spending time with Maryse has been weird,” Aline admitted, “I want to believe that my Mom is capable of that kind of growth, but… I don’t know. I can’t imagine it.”

“I couldn’t have imagined it when I first met Maryse,” Clary pointed out, “and neither could Izzy or Alec. Look at them now.” She reached over to squeeze Aline’s arm. “You never know.”

“Never say never and all that,” Aline sighed, “thanks, Clary.”

“Any time,” Clary assured her. 

~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn’t a surprise to anyone when Izzy won the vote to be the shadowhunter representative on the new Council. Not many people had stood against her, and none of the other candidates had been as vocally pro-downworlder before the revolution. That didn’t stop her family from being proud of her. 

“You’re gonna do a great job,” Alec told her as he more or less squeezed the life out of her, lifting her off her feet with the ferocity of his hug. 

“Thanks,” she wheezed, patting his back. “I hope you’re ready to give me advice on literally everything.”

“Always,” Alec promised her, setting her back down so Clary and Maia could have their turn hugging her. 

“I’m so glad that Luke beat me out,” Maia admitted into Izzy’s hair, “it would’ve been a nightmare both of us being on that Council.”

“I don’t know,” Izzy answered, “we’d have probably seen eye to eye on most things.” 

“Personally I’m sort of relieved that I don’t have to chair political debates every night over dinner,” Clary shrugged, winking at Maia as she pulled away from Izzy. 

Maia laughed. “Yeah, I have my hands full being Alpha. The pack needs me right now, and I’m not sure that I’m in the right place emotionally to take on that much responsibility. The timing just wasn’t right. I guess me and politics weren’t meant to be.” 

“You would have been a great councillor,” Alec insisted, “but I guess the wolves wanted someone with more experience.”

“Maybe,” Maia allowed, “either way, I’m looking forward to getting back to New York.”

“When are you leaving? Magnus and I are getting a portal back in a couple of hours. He’s gone to congratulate Lorenzo, I’m meant to save him in…” He checked his watch, “ten minutes.”

Maia smiled, looking over at Clary and Izzy, who were both looking at her with beseeching eyes. “I think we’re staying for another day or so yet. We want to see Bat’s statue before we go.”

“The sculptor said it should be done by the end of the week,” Izzy told her, “I hope the pack isn’t getting too bored.”

“Nah, they’re having a blast exploring the forest. Russell’s made contact with the feral pack, so you can imagine the fun he and his furries are having.” 

“I dread to think,” Clary mumbled, which made Maia giggle despite herself.

~~~~~~~~~~

The first meeting of the new Shadow World Council was set for the very next day, and Izzy was glad to have had both Maia and Clary with her to keep her calm as she got ready. They’d stopped Izzy from staying up all night reading about how the Clave had compiled the Accords, insisting on her coming to bed with them. Surprisingly, she slept well. She was powerless to stay awake with Maia’s hand combing through her hair and Clary humming mundane lullabies.

“What are you two doing today?” Izzy asked as they ate breakfast, glancing up at the clock to make sure she wasn’t late. She was right on time. 

“Not sure,” Clary answered, “didn’t have anything in particular planned.”

Maia shrugged one shoulder. “I was thinking of going to sit with Bat for a while.”

“I can come with you if you want some company,” Clary promised, but Maia shook her head.

“No need, I’ll be fine. I just want to spend some time with him before I head back to New York.” 

“Alright, I’ll be around if you change your mind. Think I’ll just do some training or something.” Clary said thoughtfully.

“I might join you afterwards,” Maia replied, “I miss the gym.” 

“How about I meet you both there once the council gets done for the day?” Izzy asked hopefully, “I have a feeling that I’ll be in the mood to blow off some steam.”

Maia huffed out a half-hearted laugh. “I’m sure that everyone will be on their best behaviour for the first day, at least.”

“I don’t know if Lorenzo has ‘best behaviour’.” Clary teased.

“We’ll see,” Izzy sighed, pushing her breakfast away. 

Clary reached over to rub Izzy’s shoulder. “You’ll be fine. I’m sure Lorenzo and the others are just as nervous about this new regime as you are.” 

That statement rang in Izzy’s head as she made her way to the council chambers. She hadn’t been back since the battle, and she was somewhat disturbed by how quickly they’d been cleaned up; just a few days ago the room she was standing in was strewn with the bodies of the old council, and now here it was, like nothing had happened. Izzy had expected to be the first one there, but she’d been beaten to it by Raphael. 

“I’m glad I caught you,” Izzy murmured, taking a seat next to him. “There’s something we need to discuss.” 

Raphael nodded. “I trust Raj informed you of the agreement we struck before the battle.”

“Actually it was my idea,” Izzy confessed, “but obviously, Magnus’ situation has changed the original plan.” 

“I haven’t said anything to him about it either,” Raphael said grimly, “he’s got enough on his plate.”

“Agreed,” Izzy answered, “but we need to find another warlock who’s able to help us roll out the tonic.”

“It would probably be easier if you just told us the active ingredient; there are scientists and biologists among vampire society, they could work on a non-magical-”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Izzy told him, knotting her fingers together atop the table. “Once the daylighter remedy has been rolled out, we’ll be happy to tell you the secret. But revealing it right now would put lives at risk. We need to do this in a controlled manner, or there’ll be chaos.”

Raphael narrowed his eyes. “Do you think I was born yesterday?” 

“I don’t mean any disrespect, Raphael-”

“It’s angel blood. I’ve known that it is angel blood for months now.” He stated, pushing his chair back a couple of inches to look her in the eye properly. 

Izzy hadn’t expected that response, and the shock must’ve been obvious in her face, because Raphael’s mouth turned up at the corner and he shook his head. “Raphael…”

“Well, technically I didn’t KNOW until just now, but…” He clicked his tongue, looking speculatively at Izzy. “I kept the secret, because I knew that if I just took it from you or Clary, the rest of my people would never see the sun. I waited patiently, to see if you’d offer it yourself. I expected you to wait until you were old, and frail. Until you had nothing left to lose.”

“Then you understand why we can’t just announce it to the world.” 

“Yes. You’d be hunted and killed for it, and then the vampires who have yet to be turned could never have it. It’s in our interests for you and Clary to live. For you to have children.” Raphael sighed, folding his arms. “Though I suppose you don’t want to have that conversation right now.” 

Izzy’s eyebrows furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“There are going to be vampires in, say, fifty years, that haven’t been born yet. Say we hand out a drop of your blood to every vampire alive now… We’d still condemn the next generation to a life in the darkness. We know that the angel blood will pass to your children. It’ll dilute in, say, five generations, but… The blood will stay potent way past your lifetime. The daylighter abilities do not pass from sire to fledgling. Any future generations of vampire will need a drop of your descendants' blood.” 

“I guess I hadn’t thought of that.” Izzy admitted. “You’re right.”

“As I said,” Raphael assured her, “that problem is a few decades away from us yet.” He gave her a smile as the chamber door opened and Meliorn entered with Lorenzo and Luke. “We’ll talk about it another time.”

Izzy couldn’t help but feel thrown at the idea that Raphael had known hers and Clary’s secret this whole time. She didn’t know him well, but she did know that Magnus had raised him. Given that fact, she supposed it had been unfair of her to assume that he couldn’t be trusted, but then given his knee-jerk reaction to have Clary killed during the soul sword fiasco… Still, she tried to shake it off as the other downworld leaders took their seats. It struck Izzy that she was the only woman at the table. 

“Yet to choose a Queen, Meliorn?” She asked as he sat down. 

“She’s been chosen,” Meliorn assured her, “and I have a feeling that the new Queen will be all too eager to partake in this Council. I am only standing in while the coronation process takes place.” 

“I hope you’ll pass my congratulations on to the new Queen, and my deepest condolences to all in your realm for the loss you’ve endured.” Lorenzo said, inclining his head to Meliorn. 

“We have done our mourning,” Meliorn told the room, “we look now to the future.” 

“That’s admirable of you,” Luke said, “I look forward to meeting the new Queen.” 

Meliorn smiled slightly, though said nothing else. 

“To business?” Izzy asked nervously, to a rumble of assent from the others around the table. She waited to see who would take the lead, and for a tense moment all five of them looked at each other. 

“I can only imagine that we all expect and hope for different things from this Council and this regime in general,” Lorenzo pointed out, setting his hands on the table. “If I may make the suggestion that we each lay out these expectations and hopes, and work from what common ground we find.” 

“That seems as good a place to start as any,” Raphael agreed. “My priority is to legislate the turning process for vampires and werewolves; the previous system that the Clave employed was flawed, and after the losses of last week’s battle, my people would hope to replenish our numbers. Obviously we cannot simply allow vampires and werewolves to turn any mundane they wish without consequence, but I feel that the previous legislation was simultaneously too strict and too easily abused.”

“A noble cause,” Meliorn allowed, “but procreation can wait. Our priority as a Council must be destroying the mortal instruments. They are dangerous, and they are symbols of the shadowhunters’ belief of supremacy. They must be destroyed immediately.”

“Agreed,” Lorenzo piped up, “though I propose that destroying the mortal instruments is only one part of a greater issue. We must decide what to do with the dissenting shadowhunters. The mortal instruments are objects that can be dispatched with in a moment, but there are hundreds, thousands, of shadowhunters who refuse to accept that the Clave is dead. We must decide on a punishment for them.”

“Punishment is needed,” Izzy agreed, “but with all due respect, I think that we need to prioritise education as well. We currently have over one hundred young shadowhunters, some of whom have their parents locked up in the gard. We must make sure that there is a place for them, and any downworlder children, to learn about our new society and their place in it. If we don’t, we could quickly find a negatively radical generation cropping up underneath us.”

The four who’d already spoken looked to Luke, who scratched his cheek. “All of you made valid points. I think all four issues are very important.”

“What’s the issue you feel most strongly about?” Lorenzo prompted. 

Luke considered it for a moment. “Before I walked in here I thought that the biggest challenge that we faced was figuring out how to deal with the dissident shadowhunters, how to integrate them back into society, but-”

“We can’t integrate those who locked up downworlders in cages,” Meliorn insisted, “we will only end up with another war on our hands. Those who genuinely believe that shadowhunters are superior can have no place in this society.”

“At least not how they are now,” Izzy added, wringing her hands together, “though there are arguments for deruning them so their powers to oppress downworlders are neutralised. That way we will not have to kill them, or find the expenses to keep them imprisoned, or deal with the anger from their children. If we allow them to live out their lives in peace-”

“And get away with their crimes?” Raphael demanded.

“Deruning is an incredibly humiliating experience,” Luke argued, “the shadowhunters who believe their angel blood makes them superior would find a deruning a worse fate than death.”

“Then we may as well execute them,” Meliorn stated coolly. 

“If we execute hundreds of shadowhunters, we will be seen as an oppressive force, whether that’s true or not.” Izzy insisted, “that set a precedent that will make the average shadowhunter fear us, not trust us. We have to show mercy, we have to show them that we aren’t going to rule with an iron fist like the Clave did.” 

“With all due respect, Isabelle,” Raphael piped up, “you’re a shadowhunter. It’s impossible for you to understand what the four of us have been through. You’re worried that the average shadowhunter is going to fear us if we execute the dissidents. All of us have lived in fear of the Clave from the moment we were turned or born. Maybe it’s time the shadowhunters experienced that fear.”

“Say we do that,” Luke said, holding up his hand, “say we give the shadowhunters a taste of their own medicine. What happens in ten generations, when the shadowhunters are suffering like we suffered, and a generation appears like Izzy and her peers, and they rise up against us? Are we going to go through this every two hundred years? We need to build a lasting peace. We can’t expect peace if we massacre everyone who doesn’t fit into the society we’re trying to build.”

“I can see the merits of both arguments,” Lorenzo volunteered, “but Raphael, you are forgetting the fact that Isabelle has first hand experience in rehabilitating violent shadowhunters. Correct me if I’m wrong, Isabelle, but your mother was a member of the Circle, was she not?”

Izzy nodded emphatically. “Yes, she was. She was one of Valentine’s most trusted fighters, and now she is a completely different woman. She has accepted Magnus as a member of the family. She loves him. Part of her growth happened before she was deruned, but since being deruned she’s put a lot of effort into making amends for her past actions. I can’t promise that rehabilitation can work with all cases, but I feel like if my Mom can be rehabilitated, most shadowhunters can.” 

“You are assuming that the angels will decide to derune all of these people,” Meliorn responded, his eyebrows furrowed. “They may not take kindly to an attempt to derune all their most loyal subjects.”

“But they’d be just fine with mass executions of ‘their most loyal subjects’?” Luke answered sarcastically. “What have we got to lose by deruning them? They wouldn’t pose a threat to us anymore, their kids wouldn’t be turned against us… What’s the downside here? I’m not seeing it.”

“It doesn’t seem like much of a punishment.” Raphael admitted, holding up his hands in surrender. “After seeing the state of the vampires who were freed from those laboratories, I’m sorry, but I want to know that the people responsible are punished.”

Izzy cleared her throat, knotting her hands together on top of the table. “Can I suggest an enquiry? We ask some deruned shadowhunters to speak about their experiences, find out for ourselves whether it is firstly a sufficient punishment, and secondly if it is likely to rehabilitate these shadowhunters. I mean, come on, we can’t deny that in an ideal world we’d have everyone with the same values and the same attitudes to downworlder-shadowhunter relations. The more shadowhunters we can rehabilitate to become friends of the downworld, the better, right?”

“We have nothing to lose by hearing both sides of the issue,” Lorenzo agreed, looking at Meliorn. “We can also hear from families of those who have been executed, or those who have spent time on death row.”

“It makes no difference to me,” Meliorn raised his chin. “I don’t age.” 

“What about you, Raphael?” Lorenzo asked, “can you agree to this plan?” 

Raphael sighed, his eyes on Izzy. “I suppose I can.”

“I think it’s a great idea,” Luke insisted. 

“Raphael, would you like to assemble witnesses for the death penalty? Presumably Meliorn will be busy with the coronation of his new Queen?” 

“You presume correctly,” Meliorn nodded, rising from his seat. “I will return the day after tomorrow to partake in the hearing.”

“I’m glad we could all agree,” Izzy said, standing up to shake his hand.

~~~~~~~~~~

Luke found Maia in the Hall of Heroes, watching the sculptor work on Bat’s statue at the head of his grave. He cleared his throat as he approached, and Maia turned her head to look to see who it was. She didn’t get up from where she was sitting on the floor, but she did let go of her knees and stretch out her legs.

“What do you think?” She asked as Luke sat down next to her, his legs crossed. “I think Tom’s doing a good job, don’t you?” 

The sculptor, presumably called Tom, turned and smiled down at Maia. “I’m glad you think so.”

“Yeah, so far so good,” Luke agreed, gazing up at the sculpture. It was white marble run through with grey streaks and specks. At the end of it, Bat would look like one of those little Dungeons and Dragons figures he’d spent so much of his Hunter’s Moon earnings on. “He’d love this.”

“I can hear him now,” Maia murmured fondly, “if I’d known I’d become an action figure I’d have volunteered to become chopped liver sooner.” 

Luke chuckled. “Yep, sounds about right.” 

Maia sighed, leaning against a gravestone next to her. “Just come from the Council?” 

“Yeah, we just finished.”

“How was it?” 

“It was… Intense.” Luke answered, his eyes on Tom’s hands as they worked the marble. “We were trying to decide on what to do with the dissident shadowhunters.” 

Maia hummed. “What did you decide?” 

“Nothing yet,” Luke shrugged, “we’re having a hearing the day after tomorrow. I… I’m starting to wonder if I was the right man for the job, after all.”

“Oh?” Maia asked, her eyebrow arching. “What do you mean?” 

“I thought that the fact that I used to be a shadowhunter would help, but… I’m really struggling to imagine what this world is supposed to look like. The world without the Clave. It just seems impossible.”

Maia looked at him sideways. “Well that’s not good if you’re supposed to be helping to build this new society.”

“I know,” Luke nodded, scrubbing his hand over his face. “I should’ve stood aside and let you stand without me. I thought that we’d… I don’t know, use the Clave’s legislation as a starting point, at least, but the rest of the Council want to start with a completely new slate. And this hearing the day after tomorrow, I’m dating one of the key witnesses.”

“Maryse?” Maia asked, distracted from the issue at hand for a moment. “You’re dating her?”

“That’s what you picked up on?” 

Maia smirked. “You thought you were gonna be slick and just slip that in there.”

“I don’t know what’s going on with us,” Luke admitted, “it’s all a lot right now. But I know I’m going to struggle to be objective. Between my feelings for Maryse and my past as a shadowhunter… Maybe I’m not the right person to champion the wolves’ needs.” 

“Well it’s a little late to realise that now.”

“Yeah, I know. I always was five minutes behind everyone else.” Luke grumbled. 

Maia watched him for a moment. “Are you allowed to bring a second to the hearing?” 

“I think so,” Luke answered, “or… I hope so.”

“If you are, I don’t mind sitting in,” she told him, “and helping you out. But if you don’t want this job you need to say something sooner rather than later.”

“I will,” Luke assured her, “I’ll know after this hearing whether this role is right for me. If not… Well… Wouldn’t be the first time you’ve stepped up after I fail miserably.”

Maia snorted. “Anyone would think I’m the responsible adult around here.”

“Oh, you are,” Luke teased her, “always have been. You have a wise head on your shoulders, whereas I’m still wondering where the hell I’m supposed to fit into this world.” 

Maia sighed and leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder, turning her gaze to the sculptor’s work once more. “You’ve done just fine, Luke. We’re here, aren’t we?” 

“Not all of us,” Luke said quietly, swallowing hard as he looked up at Bat’s sculpture.

Maia took his hand and squeezed it firmly.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, I'll be monitoring the #KuasFic tag on twitter! Please review if at all possible, I am working my little butt off over here!


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